Skip to main content

Full text of "Thrilling Wonder Stories v09n01 (1937 02)"

See other formats 


wihiimiiammm 






|u,“dz 

i°ii<?ji 

? Hi ^ fs U. ... CL — 






mis BEAUTIFUli MEW 



FORD TUDOR SEDAN 




BesSJes i 

A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY ^ 
TO MARE UP TO 



60 



IN 

A 

WEEK 



AS A BONUS 



If you are out of work or eu part time 
need cash at once to pay your biHs and live 
on, you are ^ust the person 1 am looking for. 
I have a good offer for you right now—^ won- 
derful opportunity to start right in making up 
to $10.00 in a day and quickly advance ]^ur 
earnings as you become estatiUshed. 

I Send Everything You Need 



•bndngB Uke tbeae a« nerttlve evidence of tbe amaslng 
poselbilitles of my offer tc yea. 

Send No Money— Just Name 

I need moMiaenaadwemeD ateaee. Send meyear name 
so 1 cah lay the facte Before you, Mien you can decide 
If the earning posnibllltiee aee satifCactory. Don’t 
miss this cb^ee. It doesn't cost yon aa^hlng to 
investigate- Too can't lose by maiitng the coupon or 
a penny postcard for free details. D« H teday— 
NOW. 



Experience or previous tralBlng la unnecessary. I 
send you everything ycni need to make big earnings 
from the very first day. You will act as Local Dis- 
tributor for my m^ion-dollar company. You will 
look after your customers' orders, fill them, and 
Jtuudle the money. A big part of every dollar you 
take In you keep as your pay. Once etarted I’ll ^ve 
you credit and you can build on my capital. Even 
starting part time you can enjoy earnings up to $27.90 
in a week; up to $60.00 in a week for full time. In 
addition to your cash earnings, I'M give you a brand- 
new Fard Tudor Sedan as a bonne for producing. 

$96 In a Week 

Ton may wander at making so much money in sueb 
a pleasant, simple niAsner. Clare C. Wellhiao, N. J.', 
reported that he cleared $96.00 In a week. Hans 
Coordes, Neb., stated he made $27.95 in p day; $96.40 
In a week. Ruby C. Hannen. W. Va., reported $7i00 
Ip a week. I have scores pf reports of exceptional 



ALBERT MILLS, Pres; 

3716 MoRmouth Ave. CiRCiRnati, Ohio 

MAIL COUPON— NOW 



I ALBERT KILLS. Pres. 

I 3116 Monmouth Avc„ Cincinnati, Ohio 
Send me the free facts about your Local Distrib- 
utor offer, 'Tell me how I can make up to $60.00 in 
H week and get a brnnd-new Ford Tudor Sedan 
ns a bonus In ad'htlon to my cash earnings. 



Name . . . 
Address . 



1 _. 



(Please print or •write plainly) 



._J 



% 



THRILLING 

WONDER 

STORIES 

The Magazine of Prophetic Fiction 




VOL. 9 



No. 1 



FEBRUARY, 1937 



IN THE 
NEXT ISSUE 



JUDGMENT SUN 

A Complete Novelette of 
Doomsday Panic 
By 

EANDO BINDER 



THE ASTOUNDING 
EXODUS 

L Complete Novelette of 
World Conquest 
By 

NEIL R. jONES 



ELIXIR OF DOOM 

Complete Novelette 
Atomic Adventure 
By 

RAY CUMMINGS 



FLIGHT OF THE 
SILVER EAGLE 

A Complete Novelette of 
Future Warfare 
By 

ARTHUR LEO ZAGAT 



•and many other unusual 
Novelettes and Stories 



Table of Contents 

• COMPLETE NOVELETTES 

PROTOPLASMIC STATION 

By PAUL ERNST 14 

BRAIN OF VENUS 

By JOHN RUSSELL FEARN 42 

INVADERS FROM THE OUTER SUNS 

By FRANK BELKNAP LONG. Jr 66 

THE ICE ENTITY 

By JACK WILLIAMSON^ 86 

• THRILLING SHORT STORIES 

BLACK FOG 

By DONALD WANDREI - 83 

HE WHO MASTERS TIME 

By J. HARVEY HAGGARD 68 

THE SEEING EAR 

By JOHN SCOTT CAMPBELL 82 

THE WORLD IN A BOX 

By CARL JACOBI - 103 

• SPECIAL PICTURE-STORY FEATURE 

ZARNAK 

By MAX PLAISTED - 83 

• NEW SCIENCE FEATURE 

SCIENTIFACTS 

By J. B. WALTJDR 66 

• OTHER FEATURES AND DEPARTMENTS 

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY 6 

SCIBNTIBOOK REVIHW.,.. 9 

FORECAST FOR THE NEXT ISSUE 13 

TEST YOUR SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE 101 

SCIENCE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 114 

SCIENCE FICTION LEAGUE. 116 

THE "SWAP” COLUMN 121 

THE READER SPEAKS 122 

• ON THE COVER 

The maJlsnant brain of a cendemned criminal cornea to Ufa 
on another planet and radiates force-rays of madness and 
death. Tnia painting symbolizes the theme of John Russell 
Fearn’s novelette. BRAIN OF VENUS. 



Published bi-monthly by BEACON MAGAZINES. INC., 22 West 48th Street, New York, N. Y. 
N. L. Pines. President. Copyright, 193i6. by Beacon Magazines, Inc. Yearly 8.90; single copies, 
1^.16: Foreign and Canadian, posta.ge extra. Entered aa second-class matter May 21, 1936, at the 

Post Offlce at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 3. 1879. 

HanuKrittt mult tf Utmtwtiei tf t«l/-o44reu«4, tfoinptd enttUtpu, and art tubmUUd at (k« sutktr'i rltk. 

4 




/yor Afff. 

Mr eotM TO tTAsrs 
Mr r/M£. st/ccsss /s 
. J(/ST A MATTER OF 
V i(/cfc ANP t fVASA/'T 
^ j spF/y LocFr ^ 



/M COffVlNCSP 
that t CAN MAKE 6C0D ^ 
MONBY /N ’RADIO » f * 
i’M 60/N6 TO START ^ 
TRA/N/NS fOR RAD/0 j \\. 

nmr NOiV^ J - 



I've eCEN «TUCnriN 6 tUBK} 
oxer A FEW MONTHS AKP 
rM AuaShOY MAKIN 6 
V 6009 MONBV l [4 

1 MV W«e/qBb 
•V TIME 



you CEAmi«uF| 
KXpW ftAOlO- 
MINE NgVEA^ 
&0UN0E9 I 
BETTER. N 



6 M 0 JOB tnvi AN 9 
A REAL fUTUnC. 
THANK 6 TO 
. N.R. 1 .TRAINMS 



''OM filLtl TM 
MPROUOOf 

voo. vou've 

GONE AHEAD 
50 FAET IN > 
V RADIO / 



THIS H.R.». training 
« &BEAT. AND THEY 
^ 5 Elcr REAL RADIO 
-PARTS TO H£l? 
JpA ME LEARH 

QWICKUY i 



SHEW m A ' 
PAILUAS. 
U 0 K« LIKE 
IXL NiVCR 
OCT ANtVMEU 



SAIAE old 6 ftiND — \ 

^SAfrtE SKINNY PAY 
k ENVELOPE— I'M* I 
IT 40ST WHERE I 
/ WAS Five YEARS i 
A «0 

1 Vy- . 



BILL'S A SAP to WASTE 
HtS TIME STU 0 YIN 6 
RADIO AT UOAAE 



A FAILURE, TOM. 
VNLESS YOV 09 WMt* 
THito A 60 UT iT. 
WI^WM ANP WAITIN* 
WONY SET YOU 
1 ANYvnteRE J, 



I WILL TRAIN YOU AT HOME ^ Spa/t&Tlmc 




FORA 

Maiiy Radio Ek> 
p«rts IWako S30« 
$ 50 .$ 7 SaWo«k 

Do foa wut to tBAkp 
nortiDooey? Broad- 
cauiU&g ttalioDs em> 
Oloy EDgioeon, oper< 
tton. eUtioo Dsan* 

§?.s 

Baoio Mt aerr> 
pay* as much 



GOOD RADIO JOB 




8 much u_ 
- t week, 



. ._ their owu full 

P*»t time Radio budoessea. Radio 

naoDfaetoian and jobbers employ testers, is< 
apectors, loreaen, engineers, semcemen, pay« 
ing up to tt.WO a year. Radio operators 
on ibips m good pay and see Uw 
vorld Dendea. Automobile, 

^ 87181100 . eonunereial 
lo. and loud speaker 
srstems offer good oppor- ' 
tunitiea now and for the 
fiituTA Television promises 
pan; good jobs soon. Men 
1 traioed St heme are bold- 
ing eo^ j^ in ail these 
branenes of Radio. 

Many Mall* $S,SiO.$lS 
a Week Extra in -Their 
GpareTiniaWliil* Leamine 
PracUcaUy even neighborhood 
Seeds ■ good spars time serrloa* 



trdtting I send you plant and ideas that 
hare made good wiM lime money for hum> 
dreds of fellows. 1 tend you special equip* 
ment which gives you practical Radio ex* 
perienco—showf you bow to conduct experi* 
meots end build circuits which tUw&ate 
tmpoitant prtncixJei used In modem Radio 
seU. liy SYee Book UUs all abunt 

FindOiitmtt Radio Offer# Vo« 

Man tbe conpon now for "Bleb Rewards 
in Radio.'' ll's tree to any fdlow over IE 
years old. ft detcribm Radio's snare ' 
and foil time opportunltlea, also tbosa 



about my Uoney Back A>p>«m«ne 
MAIL 'IRE COD^N in anm^^! 
M paste It on a penny poetcard— RO Wl 
i. E. SMITH, FrMMant 
Matlml RmUo InstUnte, Dept> 7 AW 
WaaklnfftoR, Oi C» 



—e _ Television: tells abi^ 
in Radio and Teieviaioo; ahow. 
letters from men I have trained. tMling 
what the; are oolng and eatningi tells 



p training 
rou actual 




J. E. SMITH. President 
Natlanal Radio Inatitote^ O^t* 7 A 09 
Washinffton, D. C* 




& 



The Story Behind the Story 



W E’RE gratified 1>y the - numerous 
letters from reade/s of THKILX*- 
TNG WONDER STORIES ex- 
pressing interest ih this new department, 
which is intended essentially to take the 
reader behind the scenes and show him 
just what motivates the authors to write 
the stories in each issue. Now that you’ve 
read all the yatns in this number, we’re 
certain you’U be curipus as to how the 
plots were evolved. Here’s how FRANK 
B. LONG, JR-, explains the origin of his 
fine novelette, INVADERS FROM THE 
OUTER SUNS: 



It seemed to me incoDeistent tbat w^ers ehould 
sUribute customary huguau mo,tiv«e to crauturde pro- 
duced ^ another aratCtUMiary Hie. The psxchola^y ot 
Eaithly bein^ is rory much the^same in vecy dlBslitiUar 
rooes anti even jbeoiea. CtvtUaed men and euvivrRS 
ahsee a desirfl ^ maliUaiQ exislen<d however unpromU* 
inr it may become: t&Bmit atxl the caterpillar: every 
creature in ai'ery phytum etrusrlea a^a« eMlncFioa, 
The ImlivtdusJ may ulweiit but tbe jit^t impulse p{ ita 
myriad brotbora le to cherish Hie. Life. howevoc'-~on a 
planet other than Earth— mishl aaaume different forma 
and posseu oiUy 4 ha*y appfoxlmation to the life with 
which man la lamlUar. Why should a race spawnod on 
Bome alien pianM ia an alien galaxy sharh terrestrial 
emotionel Ju«t as U would vary phyBidolly, ther( would 
be a bridgeleas grhp jstns between Its basic psycdtolosy 
and that of man. This nOtUm rather fascinated me and 
I imagined a race whoso impulse was not to live, but 
only tolerate life and cease it when extern^ forces 
blocked or destroyed Us path. 

Net one element in that race wonld correspond to our 
fear or hatred or passion. IteJmotives would elude oUr 
comprehension. I bavp depicted such beinra In the 
Story. As a bahkirround.for this realistic plot — for it ia 
essentiaUy rea'Usro applied to conditions beyond tho^e 
famnur to us — 1 have chdeen the most romantic ot 
planets — cryptlcany ringed Saturn, cluttered with un> 
known moons. 



POLAR CATASTROPHE 

J ACK WILLIAMSON’S novelette of 
tragedy in the polar wastes, THE ICE 
ENTITY, has an interesting basis. This is 
what the author says about it: 



I it 

^ . . . lUl- 

mate mysteryl W%s it pure accident, mere fortuitous 
con.T''S>tton pf atoms, that brourhf into the univerae 
this miracdious new entity t This eubstanoe that crows 
and perpAuatea itself in a hostile enviromnenl. that 
adapts Itself, that knows, reasons, feels. 

Or was life inevitable. Inhefeut in the very nature 
of the atom f The filterable vlrusee seem to be on the 
turder-Hne. In soma ways living, in some mere 
cnemicala. The recent speculations of Jeans 



an ingignifleant epeCk ot a planet. 

I don'TTemember wtien 1 first came u; 



- . e upon the idea for 

this yarn— ^t was some years ago. I like to speculate 
on the tftdgln and moaning of life, and the form that 
vital processes might lake un'der dl#mnt conditions. 

AcUtaliys ice crystale— or SDowfiakee— «^re idmilar iu 
many ways to living beiags. They grow, following a 
general plan; yet $AOh Is indlridually unlgi^. When 
injured, they tend to repair ihemqelv^. liaelr “life 
proc'es.ies” libereto eithii|7— the aPPearence of latent 
heat. They can liropagats thettselvte, when introduced 
into superoobled walaf. 

Ice btt been important In the geologic history of 
£ar^ — there is a th^CT that our present teimierate 
wehvier is jnat a ta^r oreak in the gi^ It 

Is d» Interesting tarn that the Ice uppo the earth tends 
to Mrpftuele itself — with ^ir hi^i reflecting power, 
fields H loe hod snow locrean the planet's albMo, and 



ICNwer the amount of solgr rsdlation alnorbed. Which 
mtjans more ice and snow.i It has bMn estimated. I 
think, that an average temperature drop of about four 
degrees would l>e enough fti- plunge the earth iuio a new 
Ice age, that might last thousands of years. 

So much for the ecientific theme. The real problem 
was how h) present it. It is a paychblogical truth 
fteople are interpsted ortly in people. Any abstract 
Weji. scientific or otherwise, is really interesting only 
bhcatiee It's of humati meaning, conscious or uncon* 
Bciouaiy approciateu. 

I'sychologiMs have (Usroverod that what people 
know —la the shallow conscious mind — is much loss 
^po^ant than what they fool. To give an idea its 
full expreSaiOQ, theh, the writer must appeal not only 
to-^e reason but the emotions. 

Tlie writer must show the full human meaning of bis 
theinh. Ha must present not just the base idea, but real 
characters np3}»«ikdji>g to it in the cojiflim of a dramatic 
plot; seUiug .‘ind style mit&t fit and strengthen the 
emotional acceptance of his basic id6a. 

The soienge fiction stoi-y^ — from this point of view— 
Is then a scientific iostrunient. perf^ed by rapdem 
psychblogy. fOr the cotnpleih excressmn of apientiffc 
ideas. A bald way of nuitk» U, perhaps, but the 
complete — and successful I— expression of any idea is 
callevl art. 

THB' ICE ENTITY w.as begun three years ago. ia 
Key Wast, but it didn't thrive in that tropical atmo- 
^nere: the rigor of a New hfdxico biifczard was re- 
tired (0 get It finished. 



MUTINY IN SPACE 

J OHN RUSSELL FEARN, the noted 
English science fiction writer, presents 
the salient facts that inspired his novelette 
of a mutiny in space and the grim after- 
math, as related in BRAIN OF VENlfS. 
aere’s what he has to say: 



I wrote this pai^icular story becanse I felt there 
were distinct possibiXities in the oonception ot a crtofinal 
brain nurtuted by the chemical elements of a little- 
known planet— fiamely. Venus. Clearly such an occur- 
rence could not be allowed full play on Earth, hence 
the Idea of the Chinese brain being conveyed to Mara 
and the rebellion en route which causeu it to be lost on 
V^UB. whereon its daa<^ powers rose to the full. 

The Idea USelf was mainly an outcome of that very 
old p^t— protoplasm gone mad, but so far as 1 

knew a Brain had not yet gone mod — at least not on 
iuioUtpr planet to the detriment of Earth. Gathering 
to Ltastf the sUmulatiye powers of VemiS it revealed 
what a br.alD, ui^ampered, could rea^y accomplish in 
the control oi cosmic forces and will power. 

There Is lUtte reasoh t<p suppose but what the forces 
that brought Ufs into being on this planet might not 
be on another world, whereupon. t^ir actions upon 
A mature brMn would be pretty stmllAr to thMS related 
in ‘'Brain ot Vooua." 



MYSTERIOUS FOG 

W E’RE sure DONALD WANDREI’S 
fascinuting story of throttled life- 
forces will prove a tremendxyus hit with 
you. There’s a strong, compelling reason 
why BLACK FOG was written. Here’s 
what Mr, Wandrei says about it: 

The eto^-ldea began germinating one night when 
I was lo&kuik at thp dark nebula in Orion and wonder- 
ing about the v«ii;loas gneases that astronomers have 
made as to the ortgih and nature of dark nebuihe. It 
then occurred to me that if the dark nebula sped toward 
Earth at toe speed Of light, no astronomer could Pos- 
sibly be aware oT its existence until the luomont when 
it rAAched Eailh. That io turn started me oft on the 
eftects It might produce. egpeciaUy U It should be 
charged wHh cosmic energy or ifradiSii^ of a new 
kind, and providiAg its ma^ was so small that it wohhl 
not prMuofl phenomena of a vicUeift. physically deotrfic- 

fContiaued on page 8) 



Why Good [dancers 
Are Popular/ 




Good dancers are good mixers. They 
create a favorable impression>--have 
ease of manner, a pleasing a^ur- 
ance that wins. No wonder people 
find them interesting — seelc their 
companyl 

By ARTHUR MURRAY 

World-FafMUS Dancing Authority 

G ood dancors jare always popular — sure of a 
good time wherever they go I 
And dancing is gi-eat fun — wonderful exercisa 
Keeps you happy and healthy — always on your 
toes and full of pep. Develops self-confidence — • 
enables you to make friends easily — often opens 
the door to important business and social con- 
tacts. 

And it’s so easy now to be a brilliant, finished 
dancer, able to do all the newest, smartest steps! 
For I have developed a remarkable new method 
of teaching dancing by mail, which is so simple 
that yott can learn any of the latest steps in one 
evening-bright at home, in the pidvacy of 
your own room, with or Without muslc^with 
or without a partner! 



Easy as A-B*C 

with oar MBulneir kasong you gtart right at 

the besrsBlnc and go tfarouoh the entire field of aoeial 
daneiDB. You learn to master every step from the simple 
waits to the newest, smartest steps and all their varla- 
tlona. 

You study the leasons la your own home wheneser you 
find tboe. No one to wateh and embarrass you. No 
expensive private teaeher to pay. Yet. almost before you 
realise H. you will be able to step on the floor with 
the best dancers of your set — and with as much case and 
assurance as if you had been dancing for years I 

I have already taught thouaanda and thoustmda of men 
and women, how to (hmee through this antazingly simple 
method. Polka who used to stay home and miss all the 
fun are now having the time «f theh* lives. They make 
friends easily — they’re welooma ai^ popular wnei'ever 
they go. 



If you can do 
this step, you 
can learn to 
dance in 6 hours. 

START HRRB 



BEGINNER'S 

COURSE 



And I’m so posKive that you, too. can become a good 
dancer and get your full share of fun and popularity 
through my new. easy method that Pm willing to send 
you my BspfKner'a courso for only $1.98 1 



5 Days Trial 

Just maU the empon and the Beginnev’e eourae will be 
sent to you immediately. When it arrives, pay the post- 
man only $1.98. plus few cents delivery charges, then 
Use it for five days — study it — practice the st^s. See for 
yourself how easy it is to become a finished dancer- 
sought after, popular— the Arthur Murray way. 



! ARTHUR MURRAY. Studio 2 S 3 . 

1 7 Es<t 4 Srd StTMt. Ntw York City, N. V. 

{ To proT' that 1 osn tesro to danct at boms. y<u ms; send me rouz 
I Bpscisl BeEinnei's couKe (or only $1.96, Plus cents pmtsge. 1 
■ understand that ff cot dellxbted I mar return the ooiine tvltbia firs 
I dsrs and my mocci vrIU be retuodsd. 

I Kame 

I Address 



> Remember — if you’re not absolutely delighted with 
results, almpiy return the course within five days and 
pour money vnli be jtromvtlv refunded. 

That’s a fair offer. Isn’t It? You can’t lose/ Don't 



I city Stats 

1 KOTC: If tpt to be ptit when postman esQs. send f ).09 with ooupm 
snd ssre C.O.D. ooatsso. 



7 



iiigj-tfe 




Corns COME BACK 
BIGGER AND UGUER 



unless removed Root* and All 



A corn voe« deepi Whei^ou cut or pare it«t home, yoa 
merely aim (faelur^ce. The root rcmaine imbedded in 
the toeySooQ the corn dhmes beck bisger***iDore painful 
-^tban ever. 

3ut when yon Blue-Jf f a com, it*s sone for pood. In 3 
afiort d»i the corn lifts out— toot aod^l. 

Blue-jay is a tiny, modern, medicated plaster. Easy to 
tujb Hdd tiMiply In place by Wet-Pruf adbesiye. Cannot 
stftkto siockf&ks. Get Blue-Jay today and completely ban- 
Ish corns, coot and all. 29<forpjickaBeof6 at all druggists. 
FREE OFFER: We sril! be gdad to send one Blue-Jar al^ 
soluteiy free to anyone nmo has a com, to prove that ie 
cods palniostaajly, removes thecorn completety. Juv send 
your name and addressto Bauer & Black, Dept. B-40. 3500 
South Dearborn Street, Chicago. 111. Act quickly before 
chit trial offer expires, write today. 

*A plus of dead cells root-Uka in fona and posllloa. If 
Jeft may sarra as focal point for renewed doTetopmeat, 



Don’t Sleep on Left 
Side, Crowds Heart 

OAS PBEBBUBB MAY CAUSE D18C0MFOEI 
BIGHT 8IDB-HBBT 

It you tott In bed and cant alecp on right aide, try 
Adlertka. Just ONE doae relieves stomach' GAS phasing oQ 
heart an you sleep soundly. 

Adlerlka acts on BOTH upper and lower bowels and 
brings out foul matten-you would never believe was In your 
system. This oldmattcr may have poisoned you for months 
SM caused GAS. sour stomach, headache or nervousness. 

Dr. ft. L. 5hott6. New ¥ork, repartet *7h addition to f«- 
fpsltnal cloansing, Adlarika groally reducet baotoria and 
colon badUV* 

Mrs. Jak FiHer: ^Gagon ny stomacA was so bad 1 oould 
not eat or sleep. Even my heart teemed to hurt. The 
dose of Adlerlka brought me relief. Now 1 eat as I wish, 
sfeep fine and nev^Mlt better." 

Give your bowels a REAL cleansing wltb Adlerlka and 
B6e bow good ynu.feel. Just ONE dose relieves GAS and 
stubborn oonsUpatlon. At all Leading Drugi^sts. 

TBtAXi For SPECIAL TRIAL SIZE send lOe. coin or 
GEHEB stamps, to Adlerlka, Dept. 112. St. Paul. Mina. 




THE STORY BEHIND 
THE STORY 



(Continued irom page 4) 

tire ComL Iq other words, what would happen Ij the 
black cloiid eimp^ shot through this world and its 
Inhabitants much like ^Rays. or cosmic rayj^ 

BLACK FOU developed ffom th^e specnlaticms. In 
the story 1 have touched on many of the changes and 
mihstions that would ensue over a period of time, 
thmigh there wae not space enough to delve into them 
all thoroughly and in detail. The rapiti revolution in 
the economic, eocial, and political structuni of civlliza* 
tlon; the d6fiine of vegetation and tbo disappearance 
of animal species; clicnatle Shotuatlons and dHrtttrb- 
ances; decrease in PCBCipitation, ftflniung of the atmo- 
sphere, and the inev’iiable shift in the proportions of 
its gpseouB elchients — each of these and the nutneniua 
other Changes conid be made the subiect of eahanstive 
analysis. And each, of pourse, would cause a whole 
new series of results. The theme h&l almost endless 
ramifications and prohslulitiea. My interest lav In 
combining the story wUh'”tbe main sclRntifio .principTos 
Involved, sipce U would require a group of apeciallets 
In different fields to cover all the ground. 

THE INSEa PLAGLfE 



PROTOPLASMIC STATION, by 
PAUL ERNST, has a curious genesis. The 
idea of insect domination oc-curred to Mr. 
Ernst in the following fashion: 



The Idea for PROTOPLASMIC STATION grew r*all^ 
I suppose, in an Indirect way. out of o rghent change 
tn my way of living. I have deseed th» city for thb 
Country. And out here, with hart! pavethents far away 
and elemental facts nakedly exposed, T-Pe come up 
against something which country people have always 
known but which has remained serenely unknown tb 
city dweller*. I refer to iusoct plagues, voiniely thj^ght 



count them— -in a single season ijf he hopes to get 
apples oft hiB trees. And each year it gets worse, due tp 
iiUernational shipping; foreign pests are allowed to 
come into our counts to minsfle with Ute killera we 
already have, and constantly improved (cuits and vege- 
tbbles become less and less able to withstand blii^te. 

Old sfufff Sure. But It wa# new to me, and I was 
deeply impressed by it. We*ve all heard the promotion, 
mace by men with resounding scientific achievements to 
their credit, that eventufiiiy main wiH lose hie battle 
with tnseeje — aftd that In the. not too remote futurfe— 
if he cannot regiment himself Once and for all to fight 
elfit5ently against them. 1 beKeve thai now! And, 
tj'lth the deadly evidence right in Iroht my eyes, t 
kept speculalitig ^out what sort of weapon sclenoe 
might devise to do battle against the bugs and worms. 
The Mea of a dhvpurffig protoplMm emerged; and 1 wan 
intrigued enonsefi with it to wbiw to write a story. 
HOVever. the fnqect angle th fiction has been dbn?. 
And done ! So the story was shelved until it occurred 
to me that such a w^pon against inseetc would ntso 
be a terrible one against men — tf a'hy one were mad 
enough to upleasn «t. 

In PROTOPLASMIC STATION. I assumed the exist, 
ence of siteh ppWer-xaad mf;n. end fhli\ fitted thpm 
agpinst the mOre benevolent guardians of the proto- 
pla^. 

TbfW'eeult was a story In which the insect angle was 
only incidental, aqd the misused weapbn-to ei(^im<rttn 
theip the hiain tenure. It interested me.in the wnting. 
at le*sL 1 nbpe it ifiterests the readera tbo. 



To Learn What Readers Think of 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 

Turn to 

The Reader Speaks 

ON PAGE 1S2 



SCIENTIBOOK REVIEW 

WORLDg WITHOUT ENI>. By H. Spencer Jones. 
¥3.00. Macmillan. ^35. (Wllh 32 excelleni photos.) 

“In this book I have endeavored to give 
a pictore of the Universe and of the place 
that the Earth occupies in it, as revealed 
by astronomical observation.” 

This concise opening sentence by the 
author is the theme followed in presenting 
to the layman a general picture of the 
Cosmos. Attention is paid to results and 
facts, rather than methods and theory. 
Starting v/ith Earth, onr home, the author 
takes us to the Moon, then to the planets, 
and finally outward into space. 

WORLDS WITHOUT END tells just 
what the common man wants to know of 
the earth, the moon, the sun, the planets: 
their motions, atmosphere; of the comets, 
shooting stars, and constellations; of the 
relative size, brightness and distances of 
stars, and of their elements, age and evolu* 
tion; of twin stars, pulsating stars, new 
stars, and of the countless other universes 
than ours. 

The last chapter is an interesting dis- 
cussion of the Cosmos as a whole; its past 
and its probable destiny. A pleasant book 
of the heavens, saturated just enough with 
information to give a combination of easy 
reading and worthwhile knowledge. 

— M. W. 



Every Story a Winner! 




IN 



THRILLING 

SPORTS 

EVERY MONTO— 10c AT ALL STANDS 




A Bigger Job— 

and You* re the Man 



Are you huctine a bigger job. or does the fcHgger 
job hunt you? wl^ waste priceless yew at routine 
irork. when you cao acc^ire at home ia a compara- 
trveiy few mottUis the specialieed knowledge for 
whki big firne pay big money? Thousands m men 
have greatly locreaeed their mcomes by the new 
home-study busktese traicung under the La&lic Prob- 
lem Method. Letw show you bow you can do just as 
qc better. The coupon will Ixiiw you complete 
iniomuttieu. together vHh details or our eon/ewni 
payment fiton; also ypw^ free copy of a remarkaUe 
book — ‘*Ten Years’ Promotion in One.” Make youg 
start towanl that bigger job today. 



“ “ ■ 'Find Yowrsel/Through “ 

LaSalle Extension 
University 

Dept, ISZ9-B Chicago 
Please send me full iofor* 
matioQ regarding the course 
and service I have marked 
with an X below. Also a 
copy of *T'en Yoara’ Pr<»m>* 
tion in One.” all without 
obligation to me. 
QBuslaea8Maoaiement:TraiD!neforOSicial Maa> 
ageriaLSslcaand Depart zBentalExccutivepositioas. 



tS 



•peclatty sellios. 

□ Higher Accountancy: Ttalnlna for pedtian as 
Auditor. ComdtroUer, Certified PuhGc Accouatant, 
Cost Accountant, etc. 

□Trattc MaoaAooient: Tntelng for pofittai aa 
RailrMd or Industrial Traffio Manager, Rate Ex- 
pert. Freight SoltCitor, etc. 

OLews LL. B. Degree. 

The up-todate method I 
d coorentloa reporten. 



General Foreman, Foiemao. Suh-FMeman, etc. 

□ Industrial Management; .Training for positions 
in Works Management, Production Control. In- 
dustrial Engineering, etc. 

□ Pecfonoel Management: Training in the posi- 

tion ol Personnel Manager, Industrial Relations 
Manager, Employment Manager, and positions 1 
r elati ng tp Employee Service. I 

□Modern BusIneatCorrespondeaootTralateg for * 
Soles or Cbltectioa Correspoodent, Salae Pyorfiotsen I 
Manager, Moll Sales Manager, Secretary, etc. | 
raphy: Training in tl 
lorthand, Stenotypy. 

□ Ry. Station Mgoa’t ORalfway Accounting ] 

□ Expert Bookkeeping OEflectlte Speaking I 

QBusineas EngUah DC. P. A. Osacbing | 

□ Commercial Lew 

□Credit and Co U a ctl oit I 

Correspondence j 

Nome.... I 



Present Position. . 
Address 






9 




STARK HORROR! 



Weird and Gripping Stories of Terror and Torture 
IN 

THRILLING MYSTERY 

Featuring G, T, Fleming-Roberts-^Frederick C. Painton^ 

John R. Knox— Wayne Rogers— Paul Ernst^^Arthur 
J. Burks and lUany Other World^Popular Authors 

EVEf^Y r.lONTH - - - . 10c AT ALL STANDS 



10 




Ill Let real money 
you can learn to play 

ihis easy ^ascmaimy i4)ay 



1 mean aotuallv play 
real music— ^classical num- 
bers or jazz — so that you’U 
able to entertain yoar friends 
— to be popular everywhere. 
And what's more, you won't 

need a private teacher. Ydu'll iearn all 
by yoarscli—^iaht in your own home. 
And best of all the cost is only a 
fraetton of what It used to cost by old- 
ftiillipned methods. 

Why am I so suret Simply because 
m^re than 700,000 other 
men and women, h^a 
and girls — no more clev- 
er — no more gifted than 

S ou— -have Studied music 
y this modern system. 

No Special Talent 
Required 
Learning to play this 
t7. S. School of Music 
way is easy as A-B-C. 

No special talent is re- 
quired — no previous mu- 
sical traipii/g. If you 
can whistle a tune you 
can learn to play by this 
simple meth^ — quicker 
than "^»u ever dreamed 
possIWe. Therd*# noth- 
ing trleW aboOt It — ao 
oogiplIdatM ^theories— 

Bothint fb '^rnnhoriic. 



PICK YOUR 
INSTRUMENT 



You learn to play from real notes— 
the, same as those used by accom- 
pUsbbd musicians. 

And with this shortcxit system you 
have the fun of playing real tunes — 
right from the very beginning. And 
aimdtt before you realize it you arc 
able to pick up any piece of mxtsic and 
play it. 

Clear as Crystal 

The best part of it all Is that it te 
so simple — so crystal clear— so easy to 
underhand. It’J all right before you 
In print and picturea. First you are 
fold how to do a thing. 
Then a picture shows 
you how to do it. Then 
yon actually do it your- 
self and hear it. lt‘s fas- 



PIsns 

Violin 

Orstn 

Comtt 

TrombeHs 

Ploeole 

Fluts 



Guitar 

Ssxoshosa 

Manoolln 

Ukulals 

Harp 

ClailDet 

XelJo 



Hawaiian Steel Quitar 
TrumpA 
Plane Aespnlloii 
Italian and Qcrtnan 
AieoMioa 

Valee and Speeeh Cultura 
Hameny and Cempaeltlta 
Orumi.and Tmi 
- '■“-etnisj. < 

Tensr) 



intcrcstipg pastime i 
stead of a wearisome 
task. 

Free Demonstra- 
tion Lesson 

So that you may see 



learn by this modem, 
aimpllfled method, the 
U. S. School of Mualc 
has prepared an Illus- 
trated Kiotfiet and 
cal Demonstration Les- 
son tghUh are your* for 



the asking. They explain fully the 
principles of this remarkable method 
and iiow it enables you to become a 
pomilar musician in a surprisingly 
short time, at a cost of only a few 
cents a day. 

If you are really scitlona about want- 
ing to ieam music If you honestly 
want to become psvuir.r — to have the 
pleasure of enteiiaining your friends 
— take this first step today — send for 
this Free Booklet and Free Demonstra- 
tion Lesson. Don't put it off. Mail the 
coupon below and they will he sent to 
you promptly. No obligation. Instru- 
inenA supplied where needed, cash or 
credit. U. S. Schooi of Music, 2941 
Brunswick Bulldiag, New York City. 



tJ. 8. 8CHOOI. OF &frSIO 
2911 Drunswick Bldg., N. Y. O. 

Please send nje your free book 
"How You Can Mast^ Music In Your 
Own Home." with Inspiring message 
by Dr. Frank Crane. FVee Demonstra- 
tion Lesson and particulars of your 
»sy payment plan. I am iiteresled in 
the following course: 

Jfave you 

.Instrument f 



Name 

Address - 

ftstd... 



11 




sp6:ssok®i» 

foot WALK 

at XONK KtERAS^ 



Americans Smartest 

FUN and FICTION 



NOW ONLY 

ON SALE AT ALL NEWSSTANDS 



12 




FORECAST for the BfEXT ISSUE 

S uppose the world’s greatest astronomers assured you that within- 
forty-eight hours all life on Earth would be annihilated — swiftly, in- 
exorably, because of a cosmic catastrophe. How would you spend your last 
few hours of existence? EANDO BINDER, ace science fiction author, 
uses this theme for his latest novelette, JUDGMENT SUN, complete in 
the next issue of THRILLING WONDER STORIES. It’s a vivid story 
of humanity periled by a falliftg star. 

« * 

RAY CUMMINGS, famous for originating stories of sub-atomic 
esmloration, returns to our pages next month with an exciting novelette, 
ELIXIR OF DOOM, the strange tale of men who struggle for the pos- 
session of the secret of supremacy in size control. You’ll marvel at the in- 
credible science that can make a man as small as an insect or as huge as 
a Colossus I sfc * * 

NEIL R. JONES, well known for his “Professor Jameson” inter- 
planetary stories, makes his debut in the next issue with a complete 
novelette of world conquest, THE ASTOUNDING EXODUS. 

* * * 

ARTHUR LEO ZAGAT’S absorbing drama of ultra-modern warfare, 
FLIGHT OF THE SILVER EAGLE, is another novelette in the next 
issue. You’ll be fascinated by the outcome of a clash between highly 
developed opposing scientific forces. 

* * * 

All these, and stories by Dr. Arch Carr and other favorite writers, are 
scheduled for the next issue. In addition, many other features, plus 
another installment of the picture-feature, ZARNAK, and more 
Sclentitacts. 



13 




PROTOPLASMIC 




A Series of Invasions by 
Insects Menace 
Humanity — and then 
an Era of Stark 
Disaster Looms! 

By 

PAUL ERNST 

Author of "Tkt Microsco^ Giants, ^ 
**Death Dives Deep/^ etc. 

There had been hondreda 
of men in the room, now 
there were only shafieless 
mounds 



Europa and Pacifica, Two Mighty Nations, 



14 




STATION 



CHAPTER I 
TAe Insect Invasion 

L ee CASS leaned en the edge of 
the magnesium rail and stared 
through the blued quartz 
panels at the world three-quarters of 
a mile below. It was dusk, but even 
in that half-light it was necessary to 
peer down through blued quartz if 
you wanted to save your eyesight. 

A panorama as startling as it was 
bleak spread out from the mile-high 
observation tower. 

For two hundred miles in every di- 
rection the earth was paved with 
glass. Millions of glass, convex 
power-bars a foot wide by six feet 
long glittered and burned in the dying 
sunlight. Under each bar was a water 
pipe. In each pipe water was con- 
verted into steam by the sun's rays 
concentrated through the lenslike 
power bars. Each pipe hissed its 
vaporous load into the central gen- 
erating plant where electric power in 
almost immeasurable quantities was 
produced. 

Threading through the millions of 
bars, now automatically tilted west- 
ward to catch hungrily the last rays of 

A Complete Novelette 
of 

Future Warfare 



Struggle for the Key to World Supremacy 



15 



16 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



the setting sun, were radiating vitro- 
lite tubes twenty feet in diameter. 
The mammoth tubes were like the 
spokes oi a wheel, raying out from a 
vltrolrte reservoir fifty stories high 
and a mile square. Tubes and solidly 
roofed reservoir were white with 
perpetual frost. 

Lee Cass shook his head in the 
philosophical wonderment that often 
seized him when he looked out over 
this weird landscape. 

All this mighty engineering, scien- 
tific and biological machinery, for 
what? The warfare against insects! 
Battle against organisms for the most 
part too small to be seen by the naked 
eye! 

It had been a hundred years' ago, in 
2214, that the blind and brainless 
denizens of the insect world had 
finally tipped the scales in their age- 
long fight against humankind. Be- 
fore that, since the first of the twen- 
tieth century, they had been gradu- 
ally winning more and more territory. 

At that time the first of interna- 
tional food-trading had begun. Fruits 
and vegetables were shipped from 
every land on the globe to every other 
land. With them went each coun- 
try’s worst insect pests. Japan sent 
her beetles to the rest of the world. 
America sent her smut-rust and boll 
weevils. A thousand food plagues, 
taking new and more vigorous root 
in alien territories, had begun to sap 
at humanity’s very existence. 

For decades men held their own by 
desperate poisoning and burning and 
spraying. Then, m the twenty-first 
century, these methods began to fall 
before the tremendous fecundity of 
insect life. 

R egion after region was aban- 
doned by a starving populace as 
vegetable and animal foods were de- 
voured by insect parasites. Each 
region, on being left, was made desert 
by thousands of tons of poisonous 
chemicals strewed over the barren 
earth in a hopeless attempt to an- 
nihilate the insect hordes remaining 
in power over the land. 

In the year 2200, humanity's plight 
was desperate indeed. Thousands 



starving in remote areaii, became 
starving millions, infected by body 
parasites, living in stone or concrete 
huts so that termites would not de- 
vour their very homes. It was con- 
ceded at last that mankind was beaten 
by insects. The last remnants of the 
human race would die out for lack of 
food in less than a century if some- 
thing couldn’t be done. 

Something was done. 

Verniez, the great- biologist, 
isolated protoplasm and found 
methods of nurturing it in special 
beef extract cultures. He went to 
Geneva, to the League of Nations, 
with a bowl of the stuff. 

Like faintly milk-streaked jelly, it 
was. A dipperful of almost color- 
less, sluggish fluid in which lay the 
hope of humanity’s salvation. 

“I want half a billion dollars for 
research work,” he said. “I want a 
generating plant a hundred times 
l^^ger than anything ever seen on 
Earth before. I want power to cause 
any territory to be evacuated that I 
decide should be deserted. I’ll show 
you gentlemen how to fight insects!” 

The nations were faced with co- 
operation or destruction. Reluctant- 
ly, they cooperated. 

This territory in the heart of the 
Great American Desert was given to 
him. The region, former midwestern 
states of North and South Dakotay 
Nebraska, Oklahoma, parts of Wyo- 
ming and Colorado and Montana, had 
once been fertile. Now it was bleak 
and lifeless, made so by the soil ero- 
sion and dust storms of centuries 
past. 

The mammoth power pjant was 
built in the desert to his specifications. 
Then the great reservoir which was 
to be filled with his mysterious proto- 
plasmic substance. No one knew just 
what it could do. The world soon 
found out! 

Illinois was a barren region. In 
Chicago and a few of the larger towns 
a meager few thousand people still 
dwelt, gaunt and starving specters. 
For the rest, the state was given over 
to insect pests. Insects whose count- 
less billions darkened the skies in 
flight, and made sections of the 



PROTOPLASMIC STATION 






ground look as though covered by a 
moving carpet I They warred on and 
devoured each other. They fought 
over the last pitiful remnants of plant 
life. They possessed the area. 

Verniez ordered all Illinois evacu- 
ated. Around its boundaries he laid 
a copper grid track, itself costing 
most of the half billion dollars. Into 
the grid he poured all the electric 
energy generated by his mammoth 
station. 

Then he loosed in the electricity 
bounded territory all the protoplasm 
he had produced by day and night 
work of a thousand trained men. 

The world waited — and wondered. 
Then, from dozens of sneering, doubt- 
ing rival biologists who camped out 
in that proscribed area to watch Ver- 
niez’s colossal failure, incredible re- 
ports began to come. 

They saw what stuff that raw proto- 
plasm was ! 

Poured like slow-running jelly 
from great tank cars, it had started 
at once after all insect and animal 
life. And as it pursued, it acted al- 
most as though possessed of a sort of 
blind intelligence of its own. 

T he stuff was formed of count- 
less units of single-celled life, 
amoeboid in character but without 
traces of perceptible nuclei. Primi- 
tive, raw life stuff never before exist- 
ing in pure form, it flowed sluggishly 
but ravenously after everything liv- 
ing outside of the vegetable kingdom. 
And as it flowed, it adapted itself to 
each type of pursuit. 

Some of the stuff seeped into the 
ground in almost sub-microscopic 
globules, and absorbed all soil that 
bacteria encountered. When earth- 
worms and larger forms of life were 
come upon, the protoplasmic jelly 
budded, cell by cell, and built up 
rapidly to the size necessary for the 
larger absorption. 

Above the surface of the soil, the 
grim primal ooze flowed slowly up 
dead tree trunks or the stalks of weeds 
and plants. All plant parasites en- 
countered were devoured by larger or 
smaller blobs of the stuff according to 
their size. 



Rats and mice were trapped by 
slow-moving rings of protoplasm. 
Flies, mosquitoes, beetles, larvae of 
all kind, ants — everything was ab- 
sorbed by the blanketing jelly. There 
were even reports that things as large 
as stray dogs were attacked and de- 
voured by shapeless masses of the 
stuff built up on itself and adapted 
to absorb creatures of that size. These 
were disbelieved at first; but later it 
was known that the protoplasm could 
bud and grow and adhere to itself in 
lumps large enough to digest horses 
or cows, if such presented themselves 
in its ravenous path. 

Fleeing things that tried to get out 
of the proscribed territory encoun- 
tered invisible walls of force radiat- 
ing from Verniez’s copper grid track, 
which formed a barrier extending up 
into the air for nearly a mile and 
down into the earth for over thirty 
feet. An intangible but impenetrable 
wall of force! 

At the end of a month the world 
doubted no more. It believed that 
Verniez had the answer to man’s war 
for existence against the insect king- 
dom — and it shuddered at the enor- 
mous, blind ferocity and power of the 
life stuff he had isolated and caused 
to grow. 

At the end of a month no form of 
life but plants existed in Illinois. No 
ba(^eria, no insects, no rodents, noth- 
ing. There was only the protoplasm, 
existing but to feed, now quiescent 
and torpid since there was nothing 
left to feed on. 

Verniez concentrated the stuff in a 
pool in the center of the state by nar- 
rowing the enclosing circle of walling 
force. Driven by electric whips into 
one spot, the jelly was collected and 
removed to its reservoir in the Great 
American Desert again. 

But whereas Verniez had trans- 
ported it here in twenty-four hundred 
tank cars, it took a hundred and eighty 
thousand cars to get it back again. So 
had it swollen and flourished on the 
life it had consumed. 

A State stripped of all animal and 
insect life! It couldn’t be left that 
way, of course. Leaves and weed 
stalks falling, remained obdurate and 



18 



THRILLING WQNDER STORIES 



unchaaged where they fell. There 
were no bacteria to break them up and 
decompose them into the necessary 
mold for fertilization of the soil. 
There were no earthworms to enrich 
the land ; none of the benehciai forms 
of small life to which man owed his 
existence as surely as he anticipated 
his destruction from the malignant 
forms. 

Verniez had anticipated that, of 
course. The cleansed area, remaining 
cleansed because it was permanently 
enclosed by the grid track which kept 
all life out save man himself, who 
could go through insulated gateways 
at stated intervals, was stocked anew 
with cultures of favorable bacteria 
and the necessary insect forms. 

And a state was reclaimed! Thou> 
sands qf square miles, highly im- 
portant to a race possessing tragically 
little land surface where humans 
could beat insects in a race to harvest 
crops, were made fertile and abundant 
again. And Verniez was given what- 
ever he wanted by a chorus of nations 
that could not praise him highly 
enough. . . . 

EE CASS took a final look 
through the blued quartz panel 
at the square miles of glass beneath 
the tower, with its giant vitrolite 
tubes radiating out of sight in all di- 
rections. 

Forty years ago this, the final 
flower of Protoplasmic Stations, had 
been erected. Sun power-bars had 
been installed to generate the power 
no ^ount of coal and oil could gener- 
ate. The vast reservoir beneath his 
feet, and the tubes radiating from it, 
were erected to contain the central 
supply of protoplasm. Now scien- 
tists following in Vcrniez’s footsteps 
could cleanse the insects from half a 
continent at a time, with designated 
areas blocked off frona egress or in- 
gress by turning the sun-generated 
power into various permanent grid 
systems. Each of the radiating tubes 
went, thrdugh mountains and under 
oceans, to a plotted area of the earth’s 
surface. 

Any area where insects had again 
reached perilous numbers was segre- 



gated, evacuated by humans and ani- 
mals, and exposed to the ravages of 
the protoplasm by the simple expedi- 
ent of opening the vitrolite tube ex- 
tending into that area. Then the re- 
frigerating coils were allowed to 
warm, the protoplasm in that tube lost 
its cold-induced torpor and flowed 
from its prison and from the reservoir 
behind it. 

Cass shivered a little, though the 
glHM-encased tower was warm. 

The protoplasm resting inactive in 
reservoir and tubes was ghastly stuff ! 
Only scientists trained in the work 
from childhood could handle it. Un- 
leashed, it devoured by ruthless ab- 
sorption all life within its range in- 
cluding human life! Only by keep- 
ing the raw, terrible jelly refriger- 
ated to a temperature where vitality 
was low, with great ammonia coils, 
could it be contained safely. It had 
the power of secreting some sort of 
acid which, when it was specially ac- 
tive, could actually erode vitrolite it- 
self! 

Ghastly stuff, mused Cass, turning 
away from the quartz panel that pro- 
tected eyesight against the unbear- 
able glitter of the glass power-bars. 
Yet it stood as mankind’s greatest 
blessing, preventing the human race 
from being wiped ottt of existence by 
the fertile insect world. 

He strode toward the control room, 
to throw the g^eat switch that kept 
the generators turning on power 
from miles of night batteries, to be 
used after sunset. Persia and Aus- 
tralia were being cleared of stubborn 
insect life at the moment. Power 
must flow from the blocking track 
grids to keep the protoplasm from es- 
caping into ocean or surrounding 
country. Terrible to contemplate 
what might happen if that stuff ever 
got out from under control! 

Cass stopped as his hand reached 
to open the control room door. 
Around the curve of the tower a man 
came swiftly, white of face, panting. 
His high forehead was wrinkled, and 
his deep-set eyes were staring. His 
hands, twitching with the nervous 
ailment contracted from being pro- 
tected from the protoplasm fdf many 



PROTOPLASMIC STATION 



19 



years by body-encasing shells of the 
suj^r-generated force, were clenched. 

‘XonT* said Cass, staring at the 
agitated form of Longi Fiorenze, 
senior chemist of the afternoon 
watch. "What on earth is the matter?” 
don’t know,” said Fiorenze, his 
breath coming gaspingly. “But I 
think it’s the worst. Come down to 
the observation board, after you’ve 
thrown the night switch, and tell me 
what you think it all means.” 



CHAPTER II 
The Protoplaismic Doom 



T he two men swung rapidly into 
the observation room with their 
short white tunics, somewhat like the 
ancient Scottish kilts, swishing at 
their sun-tanned knees. 

The observation room was a small 
chamber with a domed ceiling, like 
the inside of a hollow half globe. 
Dome and circular walls were blank 
and white. To this small room came 
cables that laced in insulated chan- 
nels along the length of each of the 
radiating tubes. 

Fiorenze snapped the wall switch 
and the room plunged into darkness. 

“The Persian outlet first,” he said 
tensely. 

“What in the world do you expect 
to see there?” Cass objected. “Persia 
is deserted. The protoplasm’s at 
work there.” 

“Wait and see.” 

Fiorenze’s fingers found and 
turned the contact button closing the 
cijrcuit of the Persian vitrolite tube. 
Thousands of miles away, at the top 
of the Persian outlet, a cluster of 
photo-electric cells like a mammoth 
^v*8 sent impulses along the connect- 
ing c^de. 

The observation room became a liv- 
ing, moving world, lit by pale grey. 
For it was grey dawn in Persia. On 
the domed ceiling the Persian sky 
shj>wed. The circular wall became the 
Persian panorama around the tube 
OUtWt far away. 

The two men gazed around then at 
a barren world. Sickly vegetation. 



almost entirely destroyed by mount- 
ing insect plagues, was grey-green on 
a rolling surface. A nearby stone hut 
showed bleak and empty. Not one 
animate thing showed. 

But it did show, in a moment! 

Near the cell cluster at the Persian 
outlet there was a large ant hill. The 
two men saw it on the wall as a thing 
perhaps ten yards away from them. 
And there was movement on this 
mound! 

A tip of the rising sun glistened 
dully on stuff that looked like color- 
less treacle, flowing sluggishly over 
the mound. It might almost have 
been water, save that it was as thick 
as jelly, and flowed up the ant hill. 

The mound wasn’t near enough for 
the two to see the dully glistening, 
viscous stuff devouring the ants. But 
they knew such was happening. It 
was the protoplasm performing its 
function. And here and there, at 
farther intervals, they could see what 
appeared to be small puddles, irides- 
cent in the early sunlight. More of 
the raw life stuff. 

“I still don’t understand why 
you — ” Cass began. Then he stopped. 
There had been movement on the 
globular ceiling. He stared up, and 
an exclamation came from his lips. 




A great airliner showed there, in 
the Persian sky. It was a big new 
fneighter, but its speed and buoyancy 
indicated that it was nearly empty. It 
sped to a point near the outl^, and 
stopped, with fins turning slowly to 
anchor it in one spot. 

Its lower freight entrance opened, 
forming a square black hole in its 
flshlike beHy. A landing platform 
was lowered. Onto it clambered a 
tiny figure — a man. 

“My God, they’re not going to try 




20 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



to land down there, are they?” Cass 
said. 

lORENZE said nothing. His 
breathing rasped loudly in the 
confined space as he watched. 

The landing platform sped down 
from the freighter. It stopped and 
the stage Swung slowly in air about 
ten feet from the ground, almost di- 
rectly over one of the heaving, oily 
puddles of protoplasm. 

The man could be seen plainly 
enough now for the two to see that he 
held a large vitrolite container in his 
hands. They could see his face, 
v/hite, desperate, but resolved. The 
stage went on down, touched the 
earth. The man got off. 

He stepped the few feet between 
stage and protoplasm pool. The 
vitrolite container was extended for- 
ward with Its lid off. He looked like 
a man about to draw a bucket of water 
from a well. Only this was not water 
in front of him. It was the most fear- 
some, indestructible, dangerous stuff 
known. 

“The fool!” breathed Cass, white- 
lipped. “Oh, the fool!” 

He twisted his hands in important 
agony as, helpless to prevent, he 
watched the man, brave with the 
bravery of half ignorance, bend over 
the puddle with his vitrolite con- 
tainer. 

"What would he do with the stuff 
if he could live to dish it up?” Cass 
rasped. ^‘Doesn’t he know that a cup- 
ful of it, out from under control, 
co^d cover the earth in a year?” 

Korenze’s only reply was a tortured 
gasp. And Cass’s ovm voice joined 
it. 

“Behind you!” he shouted, as 
though the man could hear over the 
thousands of miles of distance. “Run 
for the landing platform!” 

The man from the mysterious 
freighter was bending gingerly over 
the puddle. He had his container 
dipped into the protoplasm, and ^s 
drawing it forward to fill the thing. 
Meanwhile he was stepping slowly 
back as the puddle flowed with slow 
viciousness toward him. He did not 
see the moving pool behind him. 



From thirty yards away the pool 
had started the instant the man had 
landed. It rolled slowly toward him 
now. And as it moved it reared up 
like a slow motion picture of a vrave. 
It reared higher, drew up into itself, 
gathered globules of protoplasm from 
the earth around, till it was a sway- 
ing column of jelly ten feet high. 

The man had bis container full of 
the stuff now. Keeping it at arm’s 
length, as though it were deadly ex- 
plosive that would be set off by con- 
tact with his body, he turned to move 
toward the landing stage. 

It was just as he turned that the 
leaning column of watery terror top- 
pled forward on him. 

Cass groaned as he saw the doomed 
man’s lips writhe in a scream. He 
wanted to avert his eyes from the in- 
evitable end of the man’s rashness, 
but could not. 

The protoplasm closed over him. 
He tore great blobs of it off. It 
plopped to the ground, flowed toward 
him again. He worked his arms like 
pistons. His fists beat through the 
viscous stuff that covered him like a 
six-inch film of oil. But as fast as 
holes were made in it, they closed 
again. 

The protoplasm from the vitrolite 
container, lying on its side nearby, 
joined the rest in a single shapeless 
mass that was already absorbing the 
body of the doomed man. 

The man fell, legs bound together 
as if with glue. He writhed and 
fought the core of a sheath of living, 
limpid life. For a long time he 
squirmed and tossed, then he was 
still. The deadly protoplasm thick- 
ened over him. 

In less than five minutes he existed 
no more. The protoplasm opened 
now and then and a garment dropped 
cleanly out. Boots were absorbed, 
for they were of leather. The rest of 
his clothes were not touched ; evident- 
ly they were of cotton. 

EVERAL puddles moved slowlj 
away from the crumpled, pathetic 
heap of clothing on the ground. 

Cass drew a long, quivering breath, 
and looked at Fiorenze in the light of 



PROTOPLASMIC STATION 



21 



Persian early morning sun. 

“He committed suicide. But why?” 

“Look at .this and see if it tells you 
anything,” the older man said. 

He flipped the contact button on 
the Siberian cable. Instantly the 
dpmed ceiling which was the “sky” 
was darkened by winged shapes: ener- 
mous, fast-fiying, stub-winged planes. 

“War planes!” grated Cass. 

“Exactly,” said Fiorenze. 

He contacted the cells on the end 
of the English vltrolite tube. Here, 
too, the sky was darkened by planes; 
but here there were two sets of them, 
flghting in night darkness, revealing 
themselves in great flares of light as 
explosives burst and made night into 
day. On the ground were enormous 
tanks, and the new war towers, eighty 
yards high and pouring gas and liquid 
fi^e streams from every loophole. 
Writhing bodies dotted the ground as 
men died with their lungs eaten out 
and their arms and legs burned away. 

In France the scene was the same. 
In Japan it was worse. They saw a 
fleet of war planes nearing New York 
City; saw the first disease bombs 
dropping. 

‘^orld war!” rasped Cass. “Begun 
without notice, reaching all over the 
globe in a few hours, as happened 
forty years ago when civilization was 
almost wiped out. But there will be 
no ‘almost’ about it this time ( Civili- 
zation dies if this one continues.” 

Fiorenze peered at him, frightened 
eyes luminous in the dimness of the 
observation room. 

‘*And the madman who tried to get 
a container full of protoplasm from 
the Persian fields?” 

Cass drew a deep breath. 

“I think we both know the meaning 
of that attempt. War! It has been 
<^ming for a long time. And for a 
long time I have been expecting a war- 
like dictator to realize what is the 
most terrible force it would be possi- 
ble to utilize against enemy nations.” 

The two stared at each other. 

‘‘iThe protoplasm,” quavered Fior- 
enze> 

“The protoplasm!” nodded Cass. 
“Indestructible! Not to be stopped 
save by the force lines. You can shoot 



it to bits, and it reassembles. You can 
spray it with fire and it devours its 
own charred portions and comes on. 
Gas, poison, disease germs are futile 
against it. The man who loosed that 
force into enemy territory would have 
his opponent begging for peace terms 
in a week. That’s why the heroic 
lunatic we saw in Persia acted as he 
did. He was trying to get some of 
the protoplasm and take it to enemy 
territory. Did you recognize the 
freighter that lowered him?” 

“Faintly. I think it was Euro- 
pan.” 

“Right, And the planes over France 
and England had the emlplem of the 
npw day on them. It’s East against 
West, the nation of Europa against 
the nation of Pacifica, with all the 
world as a battle stage. They hit 
New York at” — he glanced at his 
watch— “eight minutes past seven. 
New York is two thousand miles 
away. They can be here in about two 
and a half hours—” 

He strode to a bank of transmitters 
near the observation control board. 
He touched a key. 

“Reservoir? Cass. Wire the re- 
frigerator controls to a temporary, 
auxiliary master-switch in the low 
level generating plant. Meanwhile, 
lower the refrigeration temperature 
another eight degrees to keep that liv- 
ing soup of yours still more quiet. 
After that, stand by your receiver for 
emergency orders.” 

He touched another key. 

“Outposts, power-bar field? Listen, 
all of you. Set your track grid con- 
nections to handle a quadruple force 
load. Lock your amplrflers to the On 
peg. Then come in at once as fast as 
your ’copters will bring you. Cass 
speaking,” 

One more key was pressed by the 
young Day Executive of the Proto- 
plasmic Station. 

“Armory? Cass talking. Take sta- 
tions at all radion guns. Pass out 
weapons to all the men. We’re going 
to be attacked in a little over two 
hours. See that we’re ready for it.” 

Fiorenze clutched at the younger 
man’s arm. 

“Attacked?” he faltered. 



22 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



“Of course,” snapped Cass. “The 
bone of contention in this war will be 
the Protoplasmic Station. Already 
we have seen Europa trying to get 
taw protoplasm from a pest area in a 
vitroiite bucket. Prot^bly Paciiica 
has made, or is making the same ef- 
fort. But no man can obtain any of 
the stuff unprotected. So it’s inevi- 
table that either side, or both, will try 
to take the Protoplasmic Station and 
send out the stuff in quantity, with 
safety to themselves, to enemy terri- 
tory, Almost certainly that fleet we 
saw approach New York is on its way 
here. The United States is neutral 
in the East-West feud. The only 
thing we have that either could want 
would be this station. And God help 
all concerned,” he added huskily, “if 
they get it!” 



CHAPTER III 
Control of the Station 



WjfAR out at the eastern edge of the 
Jt power-bar fields, the local station 
amplifiers, opened to full On, caught 
the faint drone of many far-off war 
planes.. Along the sound wave chan- 
nels they picked up the image of the 
planes and transmitted them to the 
observation rooms. 

“Pacifica,” said Cass, staring at the 
room’s domed ceiling. “Each plane 
is marked with the emblem of the 
Orient.” 

He turned the volume control at the 
board. The sky scene enlarged, con- 
centrated on the flagship of the air 
fleet* Still the scene enlarged as 
Cass’s fingers moved. There was a 
glass-enclosed navigating bridge on 
the front of the giant plane. Behind 
this could be seen a man, and finally, 
as the enlarging went on, a distorted 
glimpse of his face behind glass. 

As the image gained in size, it lost 
in clarity, just as did old-fashioned, 
enlarged photographs. But the face 
was still clear enough for recognition. 

The man on the bridge of the flag- 
ship was known to most of the bil- 
lions on Earth’s surface. 

“Draki, Minister of War of Pacifi- 



ca I” said Cass, drawing in his breath. 

As though mention of his name had 
drawn him, Draki’s eagle-beaked 
countenance turned toward theirs. It 
was as though he haef heard their con- 
versational tone over the drone of bis 
planes hundreds of miles away. His 
arrogant black eyes seemed to seek 
theirs. 

Then the two saw that he was star- 
ing at a control board on the bridge 
much like theirs in the observation 
rocrni. He had ch«iced to look their 
way just as they were gazing in his, 
that was all. 

His lips moved, and his words told 
that he had reversed their transmit- 
ting beam, allowed sight and sound of 
them to reach the plate on his board 
as sound and sight of him were re- 
corded in their room. 

“You!” he said to Cass. “The big 
fellow with the black hair! What’s 
your name?” 

Cass’s nostrils whitened with anger 
at the arrogant tone used, but he said 
coolly: “I’m Lee Cass, Day E-xecutive 
of the Protoplasmic Station. What 
do you wantT’ 

“I want you to stand by for orders.” 

“Orders?” said Cass slowly. “This 
Station takes no orders. It is inter- 
national, as you know. It is dedicated 
to the service of all the world, for the 
preservation of the human race. No 
outside man or country can command 
us here,” 

Draki laughed. The sound was 
harsh, bleak. 

“Your Station will soon be interna- 
tional no longer. Just as the world 
will be no longer international. Pa- 
cifica shall take your Station as it 
shall take the world. Europa began an 
unjustified war against us six hours 
ago. We are a peaceful nation, but 
what they have begun, we shall finish. 
In striking back, we shall not stop till 
we have conquered Earth. But to do 
that with a minimum amount of 
slaughter, we need the Protoplasmic 
Station.” 

“I don’t understand,” evaded Cass, 
who understood only too well. 

Draki’s lips hardened till they 
looked like lines in stone. 

“With your Station as our head- 



PROTOPLASMIC STATION 



23 



quarters/' he grated, “we can send an 
ultimatum to Europa that if it does 
not surrender at once all vitrolite 
tubes leading into the continent will 
be opened, power turned through the 
track grids bounding it, and proto- 
plasm poured into the force-barricad- 
ed area till every man, woman and 
child is devoured along with animals 
and insects! And that, my dear Cass, 
will avoid bloodshed, as I said. Sur- 
render will be immediate, I think.” 

C ASS’S eyes bored into Draki’s 
over the beam bridging the hun- 
dreds of miles between their actual 
bodies. 

“If Europa got the Protoplasmic 
Station, and gave you the same ulti- 
matum, would you surrender?” 

“Of course,” said Draki, avoiding 
the searching eyes. 

‘TTou would not,” said Cass quietly. 
“Not, at least, till millions had died. 
Patriotism. There is no logic in war. 
No commander ever surrenders until 
the masses he leads have been so 
thinned by death that even that com- 
mander recognizes defeat as inevi- 
table.” 

Draki’s face twisted with cold 
anger. 

“Enough of this. I invite you to 
join Pacifica, the winning side, and 
turn over your Station to my com- 
mands. If you do not, I shall simply 
seize the Station.” 

Cass’s smile was glacial. 

“How?” he challenged. 

“We shall merely fly in above your 
force barriers and—” 

“Your planes will have to rise to a 
ten-ml^ height to pass over the force 
lines if we put a quadruple load 
through the track grids,” Cass inter- 
rupted calmly. “From that height 
you could not possibly bomb us effec- 
tively. Meanwhile you will be ex- 
posed to eur radion guns. And if you 
attempt to drop men, they will land in 
raw protoplasm which we will release 
from the reservoir.” 

Draki’s face was white with rage. 
“You v«Il be very sorry that you 
offer'ed resistance to me! I tried to 
give you a chance, and you — 

Calmly Cass cut him off. Fiorenze 



nodded toward the board. The signal 
on the telebeam outlet from the Lon- 
don Exchange was winking on and 
off. Cass cut in. 

On the wall beside the board 
formed the visage of the President of 
Europa, white-bearded Lochman Rey- 
nolds. 

“Protoplasmic Station?” Reynolds 
said crisply. “Whom have I the hon- 
or of addressing?” 

“Lee Cass, Day Executive.” 

“Cass, I am communicating with 
you on a matter of the utmost impor- 
tance. Pacifica has just declared war 
against Europa in a grossly unfair 
and unjustified manner. Europa does 
not want war. It wants peace. But 
since Pacifica has forced us to fight, 
we feel that the human race will be 
best served if we can end the war as 
swiftly as possible. Therefore I would 
like — 

“I know,” nodded Cass. “You’d like 
control of the Protoplasmic Station.” 
“I see you have already considered 
our request. May we take over at 
once?” 

“You may not take over at all.” 
“Eh?” said Reynolds. 

“You’re second-hand in your re- 
quest,” Cass said. *TPacifica asked the 
same thing just a few minutes ago, in 
fact were quite insistent about it.” 
“Good God! You’re not going to — " 
“We’re not going to give control to 
Pacifica — or to you!” snapped Cass. 
“Your eagerness to serve humanity 
by winning as swiftly as possible is 
touching. But it doesn’t mean any- 
thing. Your plans are substantially 
the same as Pacifica’s : You want 
world rule, and you don’t give a damn 
how you get it, or how many millions 
of people must be killed to satisfy 
your ambitions. But both of you can 
coimt us out! No one gets this Sta- 
tion!” 

“We’ll get it,” said Reynolds, his 
face ashen with anger, “if we have to 
come with every battle plane we’ve 
got—” 

“You’d better hurry, if that's your 
idea. Pacifica’s fleet is in sight now, 
to the east.” 

“What? Why didn’t you tell — ” 
Lochman Reynolds’s image faded 



24 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



from the wall} with a last glimpse of 
him frantically pressing call buttons 
on his control board as he Cut off the 
station. 

ASS turned to Fiorenze. 

"What we need is not an Insect 
exterminator, but something to re> 
move from the brains of the ruling 
classes the persistent idea each has 
that he alone would be the best pos- 
sible ruler Over all the peoples of 
Earth. Call a war conference in the 
armory at once.” 

The door of the observation room 
opened to admit a man just as Fior- 
enze hurried out. The man was 
stocky, authoritative-looking, about 
fifty, with cold bFue eyes and a some- 
what ruthless jawline. This was 
Alexander Bridgman, Night Execu- 
tive of the Station, next in power 
under Cass himself. 

Cass acquainted him with all that 
happened on their way to the armory, 
Bridgman said: "Maybe we’d better 
undertake to end this war ourselves.” 

“How?” said Cass. 

"If we blocked off Pacifica and 
Europa with the track grids, and 
threatened both with protoplasmic 
extinction, they’d come to terms soon 
enough.” 

Cass shook his head. 

"I thought of that. You know what 
would happen? The dictators of both 
countries would simply close off all 
news sources to the common people 
tbat would ordinarily tell them of 
their danger. They would dare us to 
try our plan, And—we couldn’t ac- 
cept the challenge! At least I, for 
one, don’t care to have the lives of 
millions on my hands, as I would have 
if the tubes were opened to pour pro- 
toplasm into two nations ignorant of 
what was being done.” 

"It might serve them right,” Bridg- 
man said harshly. "Warlike, stupid, 
human mites! Scarcely saved from 
extermination by insects when they 
want to seize the force that saved 
them and slaughter millions of fellow 
humans with it!” 

Cass looked curiously at the older 
man. A cold, queer person, this sec- 
ond in command! 



"It’s out of the question. All we 
can do is somehow keep this Station 
from passing into nation^ control.” 

The two entered the armory. 

This was a great room on the top 
fjoor of the enormous, windowless 
building under the observation tower. 
Under it rested in ominous quiescence 
the uncountable gallons of protoplasm 
which filled the reservoir. Raw, sav- 
age life stuff which had been gathered 
here by greatly daring man, but which 
knew no master if turned loose uncon- 
trolled 1 

The several thousand men of the 
Station were in the room. They 
turned to Cass respectfully as be 
mounted the platform that was like a 
stage at the ertd of the hall. 

"Men,” Cass began without pream- 
ble, "the world is at war. Pacifica 
against Europa, with all other nations 
but ours joining with one side or the 
other. Both want control of this Sta- 
tion, because control would mean 
frightful doom for the enemy and vic- 
tory for itself. We must prevent such 
control if it means our deaths to the 
last man.” 

He stopped for a moment. A faint 
drone filled the room. It came from 
above : the angry buzzing of countless 
Pacificail battle planes high above the 
Station, above the force barrier shot 
upward by the close-set system of 
grids around the reservoir, and on its 
roof. 

"There is the first of the enemy,” be 
went on. "The war planes of Pacifica. 
They cannot come closer to us than 
the ten miles or more commanded by 
the force fields. The only thing they 
can do is try to bomb us at long range. 
This they will probably attempt. 
They may damage the reservoir or a 
tube,. and some of the protoplasm may 
escape. Therefore, all will take elec- 
trodes, as they are passed out now, 
and go to emergency stations outside 
the reservoir walls. If breaches are 
formed, you will drive the protoplasm 
back with temporary grid tracks, be- 
ing protected yourselves by the aura 
of force formed around you as the 
current passes from negative to posi- 
tive electrodes strapped in your belts. 
You will repair the breaches and—” 



PROTOPLASMIC STATION 



25 



£ stopped, and listened. 

The drone of the planes above 
seemed louder, as though the war- 
ships had lowered. But this was im- 
possible, of course 1 The force barri- 
cade radiating up from the grid 
tracks would hurl a plane back as if 
that plane had run into stone; would 
prob^iy wreck it before the pilot 
could regain control of his battered 
ship. 

He went on : “I have ordered the re- 
frigeration temperature lowered so 
that the protoplasm won’t move too 
swiftly through possible breaches. 
You should have time to barricade 
holes pretty strongly before — ” 

Once more he stopped. And now 
the head of every man in the great 
room turned upward as his did. 

The drone of the planes was very 
close! It sounded right overhead. 
That noise wasn’t coming from ten 
miles up. It was coming from an al- 
titude of, at most, two or three! Im- 
possible for the planes to break down 
through the force barriers — but some- 
how they had! 

“Something is wrong!” Cass 
snapped. “Every one— to the radton 
guns!” 

That would stop the planes. The 
radion guns, emitting a new form of 
polarized heat that passed friction- 
lessly through air to strike with full 
force on the first material object it 
touched, would send the planes down 
in flames. 

The armory door burst open. A 
man staggered in. Blood was pour- 
ing down his face, and his eyes were 
sick with terror and physical injury. 
Cass recognized him as the night en- 
gineer. 

“Reporting, sir,” he faltered. “The 
power line is damaged.” 

Cass sprang from the platform, 
clutched his arm. “What are you 
talking about?” 

“There% a traitor among us, sir. 
Five minutes ago, as I was inspecting 
the main power cable between the 
night batteries and the central track 
grid board, I was slug|^d from be- 
hind. i saw nothing, didn’t come to 
till a moment ago. When I did re- 
gain consciousness, 1 saw that ten 



feet of the main cable had been cut, 
and had been consumed by a deliber- 
ately contrived short circuit!” 

A concerted groan came from the 
men in the armory. That cable was 
six feet in diameter, not counting the 
yard-thick insulation. Hours would 
be required for the casting and insu- 
lating of a length to take its place. 

“Then there’s no force field to stop 
the Pacifican planes,” grated Cass. 
“Damn them! The radion guns! 
We’ll—” 

He stopped, realizing suddenly that 
the guns depended on the power car- 
ried by that ruined cable. They were 
helpless here — two thousand men 
against the scores of thousands in the 
planes, which were even now begin- 
ning to land on the reservoir roof. 



CHAPTER IV 
The Bloodless Menace 



I N the observation room, Draki 
faced Lee Cass. Around the walls 
of the little chamber were packed a 
score of men of Pacifica, clad in the 
magnesium-alloy chain mail that was 
war’s only defense against the new 
bullets — glass pellets of deadly Gonite 
that exploded on impact and blew a 
body to bits. 

“I should kill you instantly for 
your resistance” t)raki snarled to 
Cass, bold black eyes bloodshot. “But 
I need you to run the Station now 
that Pacifica rules the world.” 

“Pacifica doesn’t rule it yet,” re- 
torted Cass. 

Draki shrugged. “It’s only a mat- 
ter of hours. As soon as we get the 
power cable repaired, and can begin 
sending protoplasm into Europa.” 
“You’re actually going to do that?” 
said Cass, finders trembling. “You’d 
expose the millions there to that de- 
vouring, indestructible force?” 

Draki shrugged again. 

“They’ll surrender before too many 
millions are killed. Then we’ll drive 
out the protoplasm, and take over.” 
He stared in contompt at Cass’s hor- 
ror-stricken face. “The trouble with 
you scientists is that you lack imagi- 




26 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



nation. Why, you personally, could 
have ruled the world at any time you 
chose, with the weapon of this proto- 
ftlasm under youl The first threat 
would have brought all nations under 
your powers Yes, you lack imagina- 
tion. And nerve, if you know what 
I mean,” 

Draki turned to the leader of the 
men tn the room. 

“Lock him up.” He gestured to 
Cass. *^And see that there°s no chance 
for him to escape. The others of the 
Station?” 

“They^re confined in the armory, 
sir,” the man replied. "There*s no 
possible chance for them to break 
loose.” 

Draki nodded. “After you're 
through with Cass, go to the gener- 
ating rooms. Speed work on that ca- 
ble repair. The last report I had from 
our Atlantic outposts was that the 
Europa battle fleet will be here in 
^out two hours. We must have the 
force barricade in working order to 
repel them.” 

The man saluted and left. After 
him filed his men, with Cass. The 
last glimpse of Draki the Day Execu- 
tive had was of his saturnine face as 
he cut in on the London Exchange to 
give his ultimatum to Reynolds: The 
surrender of Europa, or the annihila- 
tion of their people. 

In his cell, alone, Cass paced fever- 
ishly back and forth and gnawed at 
the backs of his bands. Draki had de- 
clared that scientists had no imagina- 
tion; but Cass had plenty with which 
to vision what would happen in Euro- 
pa when that power cable was re- 
paired. 

The great nation, a coalition of all 
the former European nations, cut off 
from the world by the force barrier 
raying from the surrounding grid 
track ! Protoplasm pouring into it 
from the vitrolite tubes! Horrible, 
jellylike stuff rolling sluggishly over 
humans and beasts — all animat life! 
Men, women and children fighting fu- 
filely with the smothering, devouring 
stuff that covered them like a viscous 
shroud, and which reddened faintly 
as it absorbed their blood and bone 
and flesh! 



Strangled curses came from fils 
white lips as he paced his cell. 

The cell was as effective as it was 
fiendishly simple. 

C ASS had been placed in one of the 
elevators that sped from ground 
to top of the mile-high observation 
tower. The cage controls had been 
disconnected, and the elevator run 
halfway up the tower. There Cass 
paced now, haH a mile from the 
ground ; half a mile from the top plat- 
form. Around him was the impene- 
trable magnesium wall of the thirty- 
foot elevator. 

Also around him were massive 
metal supports which held the tower 
upright gainst the thrust of the des- 
ert gales. No chance to get out. None ( 
No chance to go up or down. Mean- 
while, the repair of the cable was 
rapidly being accomplished, with the 
fate of Europa's millions to be decid- 
ed within the next half hour! 

Cass stopped his pacing, and also 
the hopelessness of his train of 
thought. He was chief executive 
here, wasn't he? He had each line of 
every blueprint of the design of the 
entire station in his mind, didn't he? 
Then he ought to be able to figure a 
way out of this mess — and also a way 
to circumvent Draki. 

He went to the elevator’s control 
switch. The entire control mecha- 
nism had been removed; but there 
were the two stub ends of the power 
cables. Cass's breath hissed between 
his teeth as he saw a way out. 

Over the cut ends of the cables was 
hastily wound rubber tape to guard 
against a short circuit. Feverishly 
Cass unwound this, with the cable 
ends rayed apart for the moment. He 
tied tape to each conduit, took more 
of the tape to wrap around his feet. 
Then he retreated to the far corner of 
the cage, with the tape in his hands 
like reins. 

For a moment he hesitated, stand- 
ing on his impromptu rubber insula- 
tion pads. Then, with a qilick breath, 
he twitched the tapes and brought the 
bare ends of the cable together. 

There was a flash that daxzled even 
through closed lids; a smell of burn- 



PROTOPLASMIC STATION 



27 



ing ozone. He was knocked from his 
feet and lost consciousness for an in- 
stant. But when he struggled up 
again — ^the entire comer of the eleva- 
tor cage was gone, burned out by the 
short circuit. 

He staggered to the ragged opening 
and looked down. 

Half a mile beneath him was the 
bottom of the shaft. He swayed dizzi- 
ly at the tremendous, sheer drop. But 
also beneath him, going down and 
down like an interminable metal lad- 
der, was a secondary support beam, 
laced across and across with welded 
diagonal brace-bars) 

With a prayer on his lips, Cass 
swung onto this and began climbing 
down. 

It was at the roof level of the 
mighty reservoir that Cass heard 
again a drone of many battle planes 
in the air over the station. But this 
drone remained faint and far above. 

The fleet of Europa had come, dis- 
patched by Reynolds when Cass had 
told him of the presence of Pacifica’s 
fleet over the Station. But it was not 
coming down. Evidently the power 
cable had now been repaired, and the 
force barriers were at work, keeping 
Europa’s planes at a ten-mile altitude 
where they had failed to keep Pacifi- 
ca’s planes. 

Cass crawled precariously from the 
laced beam to a point where he could 
see tiirough the glass tower wall be- 
tween two huge supports. He looked 
up. 

F ar above, here and there glowed 
furious pinpoints of light, which 
became falling meteors that died out 
as they neared the ground. The radi- 
on guns of the reservoir roof were 
working, manned by Pacificans. Euro- 
pa’s planes were being burned down, 
penetrating the force field as solid 
fragments where they could not do so 
as intact, less dense containers of men 
and ammunition. 

Cass crawled back to the beam and 
went on down. 

Cass’s goal was the low level gener- 
ating room, but he knew he co’.’M 
not get out the shaft door there. s 
door, built to withstand the terrific 



pressure of the air cushion formed at 
the bottom of the shaft by the rapid- 
ly descending elevator, was too mas- 
sive and too well barred to be opened 
by anything less than the full power 
of the elevator motor; and he had no 
elevator motor at his disposal. 

He crawled from the beam to the 
ledge of the next to the last sublevel, 
the level in which were the control 
boards of the complicated central 
power exchange of the track grid sys- 
tem. He slid open the shaft door on 
the inside catch for a half inch, and 
peered out. 

The great subterranean room was 
filled with Pacificans. They were 
tense with suppressed excitement — 
and triumph. They were all looking 
one way: toward the banked control 
boards. Cass’s nostrils went white as 
he looked in the same direction. 

Draki was there. He was looking 
at the electric chronometer on the 
wall. 

. . eight and a half minutes, if 
Reynolds doesn’t surrender,” Cass 
caught some of his words across the 
taut hush of the room. 

Gass paled as he got the significance 
of it. In eight and a half minutes^ 
protoplasm would be poured into 
Europa unless Reynolds bowed the 
knee to Pacifica. And this was a thing 
which, with the bravery of leaders 
whose own persons are not in danger 
anyhow, he would assuredly refuse to 
do till his nation had been decimated. 

Cass stared around the under- 
ground room. All the men in it were 
gazing toward their leader. But still 
he knew it would be impossible for 
him to make his way among them to 
the stair door twenty yards from the 
shaft. His knee-length tunic was too 
different from their chain-mail uni- 
forms. No matter how absorbed their 
attention was, the men would spot 
him instantly. 

Again all seemed hopeless. But 
Cass was inspired by the horrible pic- 
ture of millions of men, women and 
children fighting feebly against 
the awful fate he and Fiorenze had 
seen overtake the rash Europan in the 
Persian pest field. 

A big Pacifican was standing next 



28 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



to the shaft door. He was too intent 
on the control boards before him to 
see the door at his back slide open a 
little farther. 

An arm vised around his throat. A 
hand from behind clamped over his 
mouth. A sHght scuffling sounded 
out as he was dragged into the eleva- 
tor shaft. But even the men closest 
did not hear, in their abstraction. Nor 
did they see the door slide soundless- 
ly Shut on pneumatic stops, and open 
again in a moment for a big man in 
Pacihcan chain-mail and uniform to 
slide into the room. 

At the bottom of the shaft lay the 
Pacihcan, with his head smashed 
open against a metal girder. 

K eeping his head down, Cass 
began to edge his way among 
the tensely waiting men toward the 
stair doors. He had to reach those 
stairs to get to his final grim goal, the 
low level generator room. 

“Six minutes,” Draki called. His 
voice was as harsh as metal rasping on 
metal. There was no trace of emotion 
on his hawklike face. Europa was go- 
ing to surrender— or perish. 

Cass got within a step of the stair 
door. There, from his new angle of 
vision toward the control boards, he 
halted in amazement. For from there 
he could see a figure he had not been 
able to observe before: the figure of 
an elderly man in the short tunic of 
the Protoplasmic Station. Fiorenze! 

The senior chemist’s face was ghast- 
ly in its pallor. Trapped! thought 
Cass. He had been brought down 
here to be used for his technical 
knowledge, perhaps to be killed 
later — 

Then the face of the man Cass 
would have trusted with his life, 
turned toward the stair door. His 
eyes widened as he saw Cass’s face. 
Cass tried to give him a reassuring 
signal. Then his features froze as he 
realised an instant beforehand the in- 
crCaibie thing that vras going to hap- 
pen. 

F^orenze’s hand raised and he 
pointed. 

“That’s Cass! There! Station Ex- 
ecutive! He has escaped — get him!” 



CHAPTER V 
Cass’s Ultimatum 



F ury exploded in Cass’s breast 
like a charge of Gonite. But his 
rage didn’t keep him from moving, 
and moving fast. He got to the open 
door in one long leap. He whirled 
over the threshold, slammed the door 
and shot the bolts home, then darted 
down the stairs. Behind him many 
hands clamored at the door; but it 
was of metal and would hold for a 
while. He dismissed the peril of pur- 
suit in his absorption on his next, and 
last, task. But in the back of his 
brain persisted his fury. 

Fiorenze, senior chemist, the be- 
trayer! He remembered now that in 
the armory Fiorenze had stayed near 
the door when he himself went to the 
platform. The man had gone silently 
out and down to wreck the power ca- 
ble, and then had come back to the 
armory before the wounded engineer 
could report. He had been contacted 
by Draki, and had treachery in mind, 
at the moment when he had first come 
up to Cass on the tower platform with 
the news of the world fighting. 

Cass raced into the low level gener- 
ator room. He slid the massive bolts 
home on this stair door, too, and then 
ran for the glittering new switch, tem- 
porarily installed, that caught his eye 
on a board near number 4 generator. 
The auxiliary switch for the refriger- 
ator controls which he had ordered 
installed here in the low level before 
Pacifica took over the Station! 

Feverishly he snapped open the cir- 
cuit. Around the reservoir the enor- 
mous refrigerating coils ceased to 
function. They would warm swiftly 
with the current shut off. In addi- 
tion, the protoplasm was already 
warmed far above the danger point by 
the long stoppage of power caused by 
the treacherously impaired coble. The 
terrible sljuff would burst forth in a 
carnivorous flood the moment it found 
a loop hole. 

Cass proceeded to give it loopholes. 
With sweat beading his face at the 
grim necessity confronting him, he 



PROTOPLASMIC STATION 



29 



leaped to a row of levers behind gen- 
erator number 7. The levers were not 
rusty ; nothing was rusty In this well- 
kept place. But they were obviously 
long unused. In fact, few at the Sta- 
tion even knew what they were for. 
But Cass knew! He had remembered 
them when he gave orders for an aux- 
iliary refrigerator switch to be in- 
stalled in just this spot, with just this 
possibility remotely in mind. 

During the hrst regime of the Sta- 
tion, h, itself, had not been spared 
the attack of insect plagues. Term- 
ites had eaten all the wood in the 
{^aef, and to some extent corroded 
glass and metal. Body parasites had 
made the crew’s lives miserable. As 
the easiest way to clear out the pests, 
small passages bad been drilled from 
the reservoir to each chamber in the 
Station. Through these passages pro- 
toplasm could be let into the place, a 
cleansing process now long since un- 
necessary. The passages were blocked 
off ^ each chamber by a metal door 
as thick as the door of a vault. 

Wiping clammy sweat from his 
forehead, Cass pulled all the levers 
and locked them open. 

The switch had stopped the refrig- 
erating process that kept the proto- 
plasm manageable; the levers opened 
doors to flood it into rooms filled with 
the armed men of Pacifica. 

^*God help them,” Cass whispered. 
‘*And me ! But it’s better to kill thou- 
sands than to allow millions to be 
slaughtered.” 

I N the second sublevel, Draki’shand 
poised on the control that should 
pour protoplasm into Kuropa. Fior- 
enze watched that hand, moistened 
bis lips as he thought of the conse- 
quences of the control’s movement, 
but also thought avariciously of the 
huge bribe he had been promised to 
betray the Protoplasmic Station. Both 
had dismissed CaSs from their minds : 
he was reported besieged in the low 
level, where he couldn’t harm any one. 

In the armory, on the top floor of 
the reservoir building, two thousand 
Station men glared helplessly at the 
Pacificans guarding them with Gonite 
coolness. 



Oq the armory roof thousands of 
Paciflcans were clustered around the 
blaming radion guns, which they only 
half understood, but which were un- 
paralleled weapons even in the hands 
of npviceS/ 

Ten miles up from the roof the bat- 
tle planes of Europa were wheeling 
and darting in an effort to stay clear 
of the deadly beat rays long enough 
to dkop bombs. 

War! Great nation against great 
nation. Titanic, clashing forces that 
submerged individuals to hopeless ob- 
livion! 

But in the low level was one man, 
calm though sweat still dewed his 
forehead, whom the mighty force of 
science had made greater than the 
sum of all the battle forces — 

It happened that in the armory they 
saw it flpst. 

A dozen Station men, herded near 
the inconspicuous door from armory 
to reservoir, saw that door swing wide 
on soundless hinges. They stared 
without knowledge of what it meant; 
all but one grizzled veteran who 
raised bis voice in a sudden shout. 

“Your electrodes! Everybody! 
Snap them into place and turn on the 
force current!” 

The Pacifican guards warily leveled 
their Gonite guns at the shout, but 
saw nothing to alarm them, as the Sta- 
tion men instinctively obeyed th< 
frantic order of the veteran. The Pa- 
oiflcans bad examined the twin elec- 
trodes with which the Station men 
were equipped, and had recognized in 
them no offensive powers. 

Bewilderedly but without alarm, 
they watched the Station men strap 
the twin electrodes to their belts and 
snap their contact buttons. Curiously 
they gazed as the men’s faces con- 
vulsed with the first flow of current 
surrounding them like invisible auras, 
relaxed again, then twitched now and 
again as though all were sufferers 
from nervous tic. As long as they 
didn’t try to rush them or break out 
of the Station, the Pacificans rea- 
soned, they could do anything they 
liked. 

On the roof, no one at all saw the 
four manholes, one at each corner, rise 



80 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



into the night and lower again to the 
side* leaving four openings down to 
the heaving, stirring death in the vast 
black cavern of the reservoir. 

In the second sublevel, it was 
Fiorenze the senior chemi’st, Fiorenze 
the traitor, who sounded the warn- 
ing hrst. He didn’t see the passage 
door open; but he glanced that way 
by chance just as Draki’s hand was 
tensing for the move to flood Europe 
with destcuction, and a scream tore 
from his Ups as he saw the slow-mov- 
ing, colorless puddle of jellylike 
stuff that was just rolling over the 
threshold. 

Too late he recalled the long-un- 
used levers in the low level where 
Cass had barricaded himself ; too late 
he saw the connection between those 
and Cass’s order to have an auxiliary 
refrigerator control switch set up 
down there. 

“Get that door 1" he screamed. “Shut 
it — “ 

A DOZEN Pacificans, spurred by 
the frenzy in his voice though 
they did not know why it was there, 
sprang to the metal door. They strug- 
gled to close it. But the door could 
have been broken from its massive 
hinges before it would close, for Cass 
had locked the levers open. And as 
they panted and struggled there to 
close the passage portal, the puddle of 
living slime at their feet thickened, 
swelled from behind, and began 
crawling up their legs. 

On the reservoir roof, several hun- 
dred men ran hoarsely shouting with 
horror from a struggling mass which 
took up most of the roof’s surface. 
That mass was composed of thousands 
of men, buried, overwhelmed by stuff 
like colorless molasses that clung ad- 
hesively in spite of all their frantic 
efforts to scrape it off. And as they 
struggled, more of the stuff heaved 
and bailed torpidly from the manhole 
openings. 

In <he armory, the Pacifican guards 
at last knew why the Station men had 
fastened the two innocent-looking 
rods to their belts. For in the armory 
a slow-moving river of protoplasm 
from the opened passage divided 



Paciflcans from Station men — and 
rolled with sluggish inevitability to- 
ward the former. 

At first a few Pacificans, quicker 
than the rest* had leaped the river 
and demanded from the nearest Sta- 
tion men, at the point of their guns* 
the electrode belts. The Station men 
had refused, preferring quick death 
to what would come if they gave up 
their force — shell protection. 

The Pacificans could not physically 
attack the Station men because the 
force-shells threw them back. They 
could shoot them, and some did; but 
that was useless because the Gonite 
pellets blew the electrode equipment 
to fragments along with the Station 
men wearing them. 

Now the river of protoplasm was 
too broad to leap; and the Paciflcans 
could only fight and trample each 
other down to get out the single door 
— ^with most of them still not out when 
the protoplasmic flood reached them. 
Some of the protoplasm surged raven- 
ously for the Station men, recoiled 
from the electric whips of the shells 
of force protecting them, and joined 
the rest in rolling, vrave on wave, over 
the feebly struggling, slowly vanish- 
ing things that had been armed 
fighters. 

Outside in the night sounded a 
thunderous roar. Half a thousand 
sun power-bars geysered up, with 
sand and rock, from a crater formed 
by a Europan bomb. The battle 
fleet, no longer harried by the radion 
guns, were setting out to bomb the 
Protoplasmic Station from existence 
rather than let Pacifica have it. 

“My God,” muttered Cass. “They’d 
see humanity’s only bulwark against 
extinction by insect plagues go to 
pieces before they’d be ruled by an- 
other nation that wouldn’t know what 
to do with them even if they con- 
quered them!’’ 

The words of the cool-blooded 
Bridgman recurred to him: “If the 
Protoplasmic Station were destroyed 
and human beings left to perish, "it 
might serve them right!” 

But he shook this thought from his 
mind, and pushed the door levers back 
to Shut. They closed more slowly 



PROTOPLASMIC STATION 



81 



than the7 had opened — pressing back 
tons of protoplasm surging along the 
passages to get at the food awaiting 
it in the Station. He went to the door, 
wading slowly through the hideous 
stuff, precariously walking down a 
lane formed by the raying force from 
his electrodes. He crowded his way 
up the stairs to the next level. 

Even his iron nerve almost faltered 
at the sight awaiting him here. 

T here had been hundreds of men 
in the room, tensely watching for 
the move by which Draki was to con- 



Everywhere a knee-depth of the raw 
life stuff which had been Verniez’s 
gift to the world, and which had come 
close to being its undoing! 

White-faced and ghostlike, the only 
living man in view, protected by his 
force-shell, Cass waded to the nearest 
working elevator, and went up to the 
observation room. 

His face showed, strained and sick 
looking, on the television plate in the 
armory. His eyes looked out on his 
men, mainly alive, with their bodies 
twitching from the surrounding cur- 
rent that protected them. 



COSMIC CATASTROPHE 




HOVERS OVER 
HUMANITY 
IN 

JUDGMENT 
SUN 

A Complete Novelette of Doomsday Panic 

By EANDO BINDER 

In the Next Issue of THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



quer Europa. Now there were only 
shapeless mounds, mainly motionless, 
with crawling blankets of jelly over 
them. Cass saw Draki’s face through 
a dreadful film, saw his wildly star- 
ing black eyes and eagle-beaked nose. 
He saw Fiorenze, engulfed to the 
head. The senior chemist had been 
out of the armory, wrecking the power 
cable at the time when the electrodes 
were being passed out. 

He went on up to the ground floor. 

Everywhere silent, squirming death 
buried beneath squirming, silent life I 



“The Station,” he said huskily, “is 
regained. To your posts. Take tem- 
porary grid tracks and force the 
protoplasm back into tbe reservoir.” 
Another great explosion soimded 
immediately outside as a second bomb 
came down from the Europan ships. 

“Investigate for breaches in the 
reservoir walls, and repair them. 
There will not be many more bombs I” 
He switched off the armory, and got 
the London Exchange. The face of 
Lochman "Reynolds stared at him 
[Tutb Page! 



82 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



from the wall by the control board. 

“Reynolds, you know me.” 

“Ybu are Lee Cass, Day Executive 
of the Protoplasmic Station,” nodded 
the 4>resident of Eufopa. “Do you 
surrender—” 

“I surrender nothing. I called to 
say tihat I have just annihilated the 
Pacifican force sent to take the Sta- 
tion, as I will annihilate any other 
simQar force. I also called to say one 
thing.” 

He paused to gather courage for the 
mo^ supreme statement of his life. 
And as though by ironical direction of 
fate, the observation room door 
opened, and Bridgman came in. 
Bridgman, the cynical and celdl 
Biid^man, whose antiseptic indiBer- 
ence to humankind was perhaps 
kinder in the long run than Cass's in- 
stinctive humanity. 

“I called to say this,” Cass went on, 
clearly and distinctly. “You will stop 
the war with Pacifica. You w.ill sign 
peace pacts at once. You will agree, 
with Facifica, never to begin a war of 
aggeession again. If you do not — ” 

Bridgman's eyes were on him. His 
passionless, composed face was a 
tonie. 

“If you do not,” said Cass, “I shall 
utterly destroy both Europa and 
Pacifica with the devouring force I 
have at my control !” 



Reynolds raised a palsied hand to 
his trembling lips. 

“You wouldn’t!” That would mean 
the extinction of half the peoples on 
the face of the globe! You — 
wouldn’t!” 

“As God sees me,” said Cass, “I 
would I” 

T he silence filling the transmit- 
ting room of the London Ex- 
change was tense in the observation 
room of the Protoplasmic Station. 
Then Reynolds broke. His shoulders 
drooped, the muscles of his jaw 
sagged. In thirty seconds he became 
what he was: an old man, a weary 
shell, now that the driving force of 
unearthly ambition had gone. 

“You win, Cass,” he said in a 
cracked voice. “I'll sign with Pa- 
cifican delegates — ” 

Cass switched off the London Ex- 
change. He sank to the metal chair 
beside the board. 

"I was praying he’d take that ulti- 
matum from me, where he would 
never have taken it from a rival dic- 
tator out to conquer him,” he sighed. 
He covered his face with his hands. 
“I said that as God saw me, I’d do 
it,” he whispered. “But I — I — ” 
Bridgman nodded, unperturbed. 

“I know, of course, even if Rey- 
nolds didn’t,” he said. “You lied.” 



Next Issue: ELIXIR OF DOOM, a Novelette of the 
Sub-Atomic World by RAY CUMMINGS— and 
Many Other Unusual Novelettes and Stories! 




•Why take dtaoces with uaknowo blades! Shftve with 
Probak Jr.^product of world's largest bfade maker< 
This blade is made to whisk off deose,wury whiskers with* 
out irritation. Probak}r.sellsat4forl0(^! Bnyapackage. 



KiMT! 




BLACK FOG 




It came withoxit prelude. Buildings vsmisbed 

A Malignant Gaseous Mass from Hyper-Space Intercepb 
Earth’s Orbit and Throttles the Life- 
Forces of Humanity! 



By DONALD WANDREI 

Author of **Tbe Red Brain/* *’Eaitb Minus/* etc. 



T he astronomers did not fore- 
cast the coming of that strange 
substance from the infinite 
reaches of space. No watcher of the 
night skies knew that anything ex- 
traordinary drew near. Spaceships 
traveling the lanes beyond the Solar 

S3 



System, or the inhabitants of worlds 
in other galaxies might have been 
aware that danger approached, but 
mankind, even if it had possessed ad- 
vance knowledge and warning, could 
not have halted the invasion. 

In this cosmic drama, the course of 



84 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



Earth intersected the apparently 
straight plunge of that unknown stuff 
from immeasurable nowhere into im< 
measurable infinity. Astrophysics is 
a. science of profound complexities. 
The Earth turns on its axis. The 
Earth revolves around the Sun. The 
Solar System itself is hurtling 
through space. The entire universe 
may be moving toward a specific 
point. 

Nothing in all the galaxies is still 
or fixed or permanent. 

Yet something vast and terrifying 
entered this tremendous universe of 
stars and systems and motions and 
change, something that fell at a ve- 
locity which can only be guessed, 
plunging through systems and stars, 
passing through solids as easily as 
through space. And when it came 
without warning in the spring of that 
fateful year, it bewildered some, 
frightened others, but no one at first 
had any conception of the real dam- 
age. 

At about two o’clock on the after- 
noon of May 5, 1960, without shadow, 
withaut prelude, without previous 
signs of any sort whatever — blackness 
fell. 

Black fog. Suffocating, intolerable, 
like a thick sea, shot with needles of 
pain. The sky vanished. Buildings 
vanished. Neon lights vanished. Pave- 
ments vanished. People vanished. 
There remained only blackness, abso- 
lute, impenetrable. 

For perhaps a second or two, pedes- 
trians continued on their way, and 
completed the action or phrase they 
had begun before astonishment and 
fear paralyzed them. A distinct but 
brief hush ensued. Then the screech 
of brakes, as drivers brought cars to a 
dead stop. Crashes. Murmur of ex- 
cited voices, cries a crescendo of 
soi^nd. Whistles, shrill whistles of 
ppiicemen. Blackness of pulsing den- 
sity, suffocating. Friends clung to 
each other and strangers grabbed des- 
perately for some human contact. 

Matches rasped. No light appeared. 
Scorched fingers dropped the useless 
sticks. Housewives, engineers, drivers 
of vehicles cursed when the click of 
hastily turned switches failed to pro- 



duce light. There was no light any- 
where. 

An immense and curious clamor 
rose above New York City. Like 
moles, the inhabitants stumbled 
around on the streets., in their apart- 
ments, in stores, wherever they had 
been when the incredible night de- 
scended, and groped for walls or any- 
thing solid by which to reassure them- 
selves and get their bearings. Well- 
trained motormen halted surface and 
elevated and subway cars. Casualties, 
in spite of the suddenness of the phe- 
nomenon, were remarkably few. Some 
pedestrians crossing streets, others 
who blindly stumbled off sidewalks, 
went down under automobiles. A 
number of vehicles crashed or piled 
up on obstructions. 

The same scenes occurred all over 
the continent. In Philadelphia, Wash- 
ington, New Orleans, St. Paul, Winni- 
peg, Mexico City, in country and city 
— darkness instant, absolute. Casu- 
alties. Slamming of brakes, crashing 
of automobiles. 

F armers halted in the midst of 
tilling^ fields. Business stopped. 
Broadcasting stopped. Transporta- 
tion came to a standstill. Government 
stopped. Everything stopped. The 
Black Fog paralyzed all activity. 

On the opposite side of the globe, 
where night had already fallen, the 
coming of the intenser blackness 
caused less confusion, and came to the 
attention of millions only after they 
wakened the following morning. 

Religious fanatics, strange sects in 
far countries, primitive tribesmen, 
proclaimed the end of the world, the 
day of judgment. The superstitious 
grew panicky. The phenomenon non- 
plussed even scientists toiling in la- 
boratories. 

Breathless waiting. Tense straining * 
in darkness. Pressing of countless 
buttons that failed to light a single 
bulb so far as anyone could .tell, ex- 
cept that the bulbs emitted heat. An- 
gry protests about the breakdown of 
electricity. Fear of attack, and the 
power of some strange new weapon. 
Fear of a scourge of blindness. And 
nothing to do but talk in darkness, 



BLACK FOG 



85 



wait in darkness whose value was ab- 
solute. 

As suddenly and mysteriously as 
the phenomenon began it ended. 
Buildings and ground and people 
sprang into full view, much as they 
had been. Eleven minutes had elapsed. 
Frightened shoppers peered around 
with white faces. Engines began to 
run again. Ambulances cleared their 
way to wrecked cars and stricken pe- 
destrians. 

A shrill and excited babble burst 
out. Everybody talked to anybody at 
hand. A few persons witnessed odd 
by-products of the visitation. Wisps 
of black fog drifted down from the 
ceilings of buildings, drifted through 
floors, drifted down to basements, and 
vanished into the ground. 

A woman about to dive from a 
springboard fainted when she saw 
wisps of black smoke issue from the 
soles of her feet and sink into the 
pool below her. A fanner stood petri- 
fied, jaw agape, when black fumes 
sank from the belly of a cow and 
seeped into the soil. 

BLACK F5G over AMERICA 
screamed the extras, and WAR 
SCARE FEARED in the headlines; 
and HUNDREDS KILLED, and 
BUACK fog world wide. The 
universal topic of conversation per- 
sisted for days, but no one claimed 
responsibility for the Black Fog, no 
mad genius announced himself the in- 
ventor of the phenomenon, nor did 
any war scare follow. The Black Fog 
just came and departed, once and for 
all. 

Science, left without a single speci- 
men of the blackness to analyze, took 
to theory. The Fog had been a fact, 
an eleven minute fact, without paral- 
lel. Science had not caused the Fog. 
Any nation would have honored the 
man who could duplicate the Black 
Fog and control or localize its dis- 
tribution, for it contained the key to 
power and conquest. In war it would 
have paralyzed the movement of 
troops and routed the most highly or- 
ganized enemy on land, sea, or sky. 
But nations and philosophers alike 
sought in vain for an explanation. 

The best answer, in the midst of 



hundreds of arguments and interpre- 
tations that continue to this day, came 
from Professor L. I. Hayle-I^illips, 
chemist and physicist. Other scien- 
tists suggested that Earth had entered 
a region of space such as one of the 
dark nebulae. They hypothesized an 
electrical precipitation of all the dust 
and dirt in Earth’s entire atmosphere. 

They presented theories about a 
violent disturbance on the Sun, or 
passage through some warp of space, 
either of which occurrences might 
temporarily have cut off all light. An- 
other guessed that a temporary but 
universal blindness had affected man- 
kind as the result of an unknown in- 
visible gas. 

B ut the words of Hayle-Phillips 
in a paper now famous have won 
general acceptance. He wrote: 

“The failure of astronomers to her- 
ald the approach or report the pres- 
ence of the mass widely known as the 
Black Fog has caused undue recrim- 
ination. It is easy to account for the 
failure. The astronomers didn’t re- 
port the black mass because they 
couldn’t. They couldn’t because the 
mass approached at a speed the same 
as or greater than the velocity of 
light. Traveling at such velocity it 
would not cut off the rays from stars 
and other luminous bodies behind it. 
It would simply be a blind spot in 
space, a blind spot shooting toward 
Earth, a blind spot absolutely unde- 
tectable until the exact second of its 
impact with Earth. 

“ This explains the sudden appear- 
ance of a great, blank, black area, a 
perfect ellipse, that obscures fC*lly 
one-seventh of the sky. The area 
marks the departure of the Fog on its 
journey through the universe. We 
can of course watch it recede even 
though we did not see it approach. 
The ellipse will tend to become more 
like a disc viewed edgewise and of 
smaller visible area as it speeds on its 
way. It will take four years to cross 
the great void around the Solar Sys- 
tem, and the same period of time will 
elapse before the light-rays of the 
nearest stars in its line of flight reach 
us. 



86 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



“Knowing that the Fog lasted elev- 
en minutes, and assuming that its 
velocity paralleled that of light, we 
can roughly estimate its thickness at 
11x60x186,000 miles, or 122,760,000 
miles. Shaped like a double concave 




lens, it struck Earth at such a tangent 
as to seem ellipsoid, and will eventu- 
ally thin to the shape of a disc seen 
edgewise, until it passes beyond range 
of our telescopes into the remote out- 
posts of the universe. 

“Acconiing to the Lorenz-Fitzger- 
ald contraction, the mass would fore- 
shorten in the direction of flight. 
This may account for the shape of 
the Fog. However, we must remem- 
ber that all our laws and theories, all 
our science, are based upon matter 
and energy as we have previously 
known them. The discovery of a new 
element above 92 or below 1, or the 
arrival of a four-dimensional solid 
upon our three-dimensional planet, or 
finding another color between the red 
and the violet, would compel us to 
change our basic laws. 

“The Black Fog was such a phe- 
nomenon. We need new theories to 
explain it. 

“ The Black Fog consisted of a sub- 
stance, stuff, gas, fluid, mineral, ma- 
terial, or other element or composi- 
tion of elements, utterly foreign to 
matter as we know it. The Black Fog 
was a hyper-element, perhaps origi- 
nating in a four-dimensional hyper- 
space, and passing without interfer- 
ence through even the densest solids. 

“ It absorbed light 100%. It was 
odorless. The feeling of suffocation, 
of pressure, of tremendous contrac- 
tion and expansion, experienced by 
almost everyone during the period of 
the Black Fog resulted either from 
the force of impact or from the na- 
ture of the Fog. In its own universe 
or projection or extension or condi- 



tion of hyper-space, it was doubtless 
a substance of inconceivable density. 
It lost its true properties and became 
nebulous when it entered our three- 
dimensional universe. 

“A violent cataclysm of a kind be- 
yond our ccnnprehension blasted the 
mass out of its hyper-universe, forced 
it and sqiMezed it into ours. It will 
continue on its path until in some 
far distant era it reaches the opposite 
end of our universe and returns to 
that region of hyper-space and hyper- 
time from which it came. 

“ Whether the Black Fog has left 
any permanent effects is too early to 
tell, since we don’t know its exact 
properties in this universe. But it will 
unquestionably leave serious effects 
for years to come. The pain-flashes 
that accompanied the Fog indicate 
ultra-radioactivity of an unrecorded 
kind. We can oiily wait for whatever 
developments ensue. These may take 
the form of internal or external burns, 
decay of tissue, cancerous growths, 
aberrations of behavior, or mental or 
physical derangements.” 

H AYLE-PHILLIPS created a 
one-day sensation with his re- 
port, but as weeks passed, the phe- 
nomenon became overshadowed by 
other events of topical interest that 
filled the television broadcasts. 

The scientists, however, knew that 
something had gone wrong. A month 
after the Black Fog, the price of gui- 
nea-pigs and rats for experimental 
purposes began to rise. It soared by 
leaps and bounds. Two months after 
the catastrophe, those little rodents 
reached such a premium that they 
were far too costly to be used. The 
supply houses replied to letters of in- 
quiry and protest with, “We regret 
that we are unable to fill orders for 
guinea pigs, mice, rabbits, rats, and 
other small rodents. For reasons un- 
known it has proved impossible to 
breed new stock, and the supply on 
hand is exhausted.” 

About the same time, medical au- 
thorities and specialists in gynecol- 
ogy found a diminishing demand for 
their services. Women stopped com- 
ing to them for prenatal advice. 



BLACK FOG 



37 



An alert reporter idly studying sta- 
tistics and vital records made the im- 
aginative leap that brought him to the 
truth. He got the greatest scoop in 
history when his paper came out with 
the entire front page containing just 
three words in huge, black letters: 
ALL LIFE DOOMED. 

The crowds that mobbed the news- 
boys found on page two: 

“The human race is faced by ex- 
tinction. The Black Fog was the di- 
rect cause. The irradiation in it de- 
prived humanity of the ability to re- 
produce itself. The birth rate is fall- 
ing rapidly. The last child will be 
born within six or seven months. 

“Mice and other short-lived animals 
are already nearly extinct. The same 
disaster has overtaken every kind of 
animal life. 

“It is believed the plant and vege- 
table kingdoms have suffered a simi- 
lar fate.” 

In homes, in restaurants, on the 
city sidewalks, along the skyways, 
and through the ether lanes that mes- 
sage poured its fatal prophecy. 

“Doomed?” questioned the gyne- 
cologist. “It is too early to tell. This 
may be only a passing condition. The 
human race must survive. Children 
must be born. Let us devote every 
effort to counteracting the effects of 
the Fog.” 

The scientists experimented with 
serums and drugs, chemicals, radia- 
tions, glandular secretions and ex- 
tracts. They tried an)rthing and 
ever5Tthing that could possibly work. 
But the months ran on, and one by 
one the hopes disappeared, and the 
prematurely announced cure-alls 
petted out. 

Humanity never fully recovered 
from the depressing paralysis of that 
first shock. To a degree existence con- 
tinued as before, with less gayety and 
mbre false optimism. Long years lay 
ahead. It would take a century or 
more for the last survivor to die. 
Much could be accomplished in that 
time, perhaps migration to another 
planet, or discovery of a method to 
restore vitality. The effects of the 
Black Fog might gradually wear off 
in time for the depleted races to sur- 



vive and launch a new civilization. 

Birth statistics became front page 
news. Six, seven, eight months passed. 
Births grew rarer, only a few hun- 
dreds for the entire world each day, 
then only a few dozens, then days 
passed without a single child born. 
Nine and a half months after the 
Black Fog, the last birth, twins, a 
boy and a girl, the offspring of a na- 
tive Senegalese, took place. The 
twins, ugly little creatures, achieved 
fame and homage from the rest of the 
world. 

O FFERS, gifts, and wealth show- 
ered them. They received the 
best of medical care. All opportunity 
lay open to them. The knowledge and 
resources of the whole planet were at 
their disposal. 

Unfortunately, their mother went 
off one afternoon upon an errand of 
her own and for reasons that she 
didn't divulge. When she returned 
there remained of the twins only such 
osseous material as the army ants had 
found unpalatable. 

Throughout the winter, the papers 
of cold regions carried disturbing ac- 
counts of crop failures elsewhere. 
The price of fresh fruit, vegetables, 
meat, and grains began to soar. With 
the arrival of spring on the rest of 
the world's agricultural areas, men 
finally realized the full scope of the 
disaster. 

The long rows of wheat and corn 
and grains and hay sprouted, grew 
taller as the summer waned, but never 
a seed or an ear developed. The old 
trees and the standing bushes and 
vines and perennials grew green, but 
no bud or blossom or fruit issued. 
They were barren plants, cereals, and 
fruit trees. There would be no harv- 
est. All things growing had been 
rendered as infertile as the verte- 
brates. 

The Black Fog not only had made 
mankind sterile, but also small ani- 
mals and insects had lost the power 
of reproduction. Every species of 
plant and animal, every kind of bird 
and fish, every life form whether ma- 
rine or terrestrial or arboreal, whether 
reproducing by seed, egg, or pollina- 



38 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



tion had lost the ability to generate 
its kind. Only the amoeba, the primi- 
tive worms, and the lowly organisms 
that reprodttcfed by division and sim- 
fde fission could survive, together 
with mushrooms and fimgi that re- 
produced by spores. 

The course of evolution had halted. 
The mutation q£ species had stopped. 
The Black Fog, irradiated with a 
mysterious energy, had permeated 
and penetrated everything on Earth. 
It had annihilated the foundations of 
existence. 

Garden vegetables became a thing 
of the past by the end of 1961. Fresh 
fruits and berries could not be bought 
at any price. Dried fruits of the pre- 
ceding year shot up to five, ten, twen- 
ty-five dollars a pound before the year 
was over. 

The great herds on the western 
plains of America, and in the Argen- 
tine and Australia, had no calves. 
Sows did not Utter. Mosquitoes, gnats, 
flies, butterflies, mice, hundreds of 
species of short-lived insects and 
small animals had already become ex- 
tinct. 

Governments and nations declared 
martial law, impounded all stocks of 
food, and established a rigid system 
of rationing. Fortunately, there ex- 
isted a large world carry-over of 
wheat and grains. There was plenty 
of meat to last several years, and 
enough grass, vegetation, and infer- 
tile crops to feed livestock. The sea 
held immense quantities of fish. Sci- 
ence bad discovered methods of ex- 
tracting and concentrating the differ- 
ent vitamins by utilization of corn- 
stalks, cellulose, and waste material. 

Huge quantities of these concen- 
trates, as well as of canned goods of 
every kind, filled stores and ware- 
houses. Synthetic sugars, starches, 
proteins, and vast amounts of pre- 
served natural products formed the 
tinned supplies. 

But famines decimated China, In- 
dia, Africa, and other poor coimtries, 
ur countries whose main diet consist- 
ed of a single staple such as rice or 
potatoes. More fortunate nations 
would not and could not help the 
stricken areas. Waf never became a 



threat, for it would have been impos- 
sible to mobilize and supply an army 
except by starving civilian popula- 
tions. 

It is difiBcuU for us who survive to 
realize the vast and permanent 
changes that affected industry, eco- 
nomics, commerce, society, and gov- 
ernments within the years immediate- 
ly following the Black Fog. 

T he world’s production machin- 
ery, geared to supply the needs of 
a constant or increasing population, 
faced a dwindling demand. As raw 
materials became scarce throughout 
the food industries, the machines 
stopped. Factories in other lines 
closed, then the making of durable 
goods, ceased. Unemployment affected 
the whole of oivilizatidn. Ships rotted 
at their piers. Commerce ceased and 
business liquidated itself. 

The religious, ethical, and sociolog- 
ical structure of society broke down. 
The necessity of race preservation ob- 
literated the will and the rights of the 
individual. 

But the years passed, without a 
birth, and as the stocks of food di- 
minished, so dwindled the popula- 
tions of countries, and the average 
age of humanity crept ominously 
higher, whUe the streets became bar- 
ren of youthful faces. 

The scientists labored. They 
achieved miracles in extracting syn- 
thetic foods from the forests of the 
world. Extincticui overtook game of 
all sorts. Domestic animals exist- 
ed only in memory. The song of 
birds and the hum of insects had 
vanished forever from the woods. 
The seas, once teeming with life, 
now yielded merely an occasional 
whale, an infrequent turtle, a giant 
clam now and then, and what few 
fish had survived from the last spawn 
before the coming of the Black Fog. 

Fields lay brown and barren of 
grass, hay, weeds, flowers. No longer 
did annual miracle of creation 
occur. No longer did the cycle of 
birth and death and change tinge the 
course of life with mystery. Only 
death continued. 

Though factories remained almost 



BLACK FOG 



39 



universally idle, and though much of 
man’s initiative, energy, and produc* 
tive capacity had dissipated, work in- 
tensified along other lines and new 
experiments. The first successful 
rocket f^ht to the Moon took place 
in 2012. T%e year 2018 saw exploration 
of all the planets of the Solar Sys- 
tem, and from each came back the 
same disheartening report. Some had 
never sustained life. Mars bore 
ancient, cryptic ruins. The once 
lush vegetation of Venus was 
withering and dying. The Black 
Fog had stricken other worlds than 
Earth. 

Strange silences brooded over the 
terrestrial globe. The very atmos- 
phere and climate were changing, 
thinning, as vegetation became scan- 
tier and gave off less oxygen. Preci- 
pitation lowered. The interval be- 
tween rainfalls grew longer, and the 
rains lighter. Desolation walked the 
face of the Earth, and loneliness came 
hand in hand virith death. 

During these later declining years 
in the twilight of civilization, all that 
was admirable and beautiful and noble 
in the human races, all that was evil 
and corruption, fiowered alike to the 
ultimate peak and the lowest degrada- 
tion. The temperament of the indi- 
vidual guided his approach to obli- 
vion. 

A handful of philosophers contem- 
plated extinction with the same res- 
ignation and serenity by which they 
viewed the eternal darkness that is 
the fate of every man. It did not mat- 
ter to them that the race itself would 
perish, for did not the race perish. 



so far as the individual was concerned, 
when the individual died? And was 
not death the heritage of every in- 
dividual? 

But the philosophers were few, 
though a burden of frantic weariness 
and a visible presence of despair un- 
derlay even the wildest orgies. Minds 
crazed with alcohol, narcotics, and 
passions could never wholly escape 
the knowledge of doom. There was 
a feverish note, a hectic color, a hint 
of aberration, a suggestion of insan- 
ity in the fantastic extremes of those 
who tried to win a brief, drugged 
prelude to oblivion everlasting. 

T he spring of 2020 produced a 
curious novelty and witnessed a 
brief fiare-up of hope. An object fell 
from the sky slowly toward the 
ground in the Alleghenies not far 
from Pittsburgh. Searchers covered 
the roads, climbed mountains, and in 
a deep ravine finally discovered the 
object. 

Of considerable size, it had appar- 
ently been a spaceship. The twisted 
and crumpled wreck retained scarcely 
a vestige of the original wedge-shape. 
Inside lay the bodies of curious crea- 
tures, dark green, knobby and 
gnarled, with spiky protrusions and 
an external covering harder than the 
horny carapaces of turtles. 

Where they originated, the nature 
of their life, how they came within 
the gravitational pull of Earth, the 
period of time and space to which the 
wreck belonged, and why the cruiser 
did not fall so rapidly as to grow in- 
[Turn Pagel 





40 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



candescent are mysteries without an 
answer. No one could determine 
whether collision with a meteor in far 
regions of the. void wrecked the ship, 
or battle in' some cosmic war. 

This bit of celestial debris con> 
tained machines and instruments of 
peculiar design, unknown materials 
and equipment, and supplies of enig« 
matic nature. The last included a 
number of small pellets, some green, 
some purple, others blue, orange, 
black, and pallid gray that glistened 
like B-B shot. 

Afraid of possible poisons and ex- 
plosives, the discoverers of the wreck 
did not touch anything. The scientists 
who took control planted some of the 
weirdly colored pellets during the 
course of their investigation. 

They grew. They grew with amaz- 
ing fecundity. They produced stalks 
eight feet tall at the end of the hrst 
week. The green pellets developed 
enormous balls bristling with sharp 
spikes. The spikes turned brown 
within three weeks. Underneath lay a 
green pulp enclosing hundreds of 
glistening green pellets. The pulp 
proved palatable, with an indescrib- 
able flavor between mustiness and 
sweetness. 

Different plants matured from the 
other seeds. A swart, purple creeper 
covered with hair instead of foliage, 
a creeper whose entire length con- 
tained edible fiber of a tangy, metallic 
taste, and whose seeds filled a central 
pod that extended from root to ex- 
tremity. A Bush with crisp, scarlet 
leaves like flaming ribbons that . 
rustled on the wind. A pale tuber, 
sickly white, but aromatic, and which 
exceeded the size of a bushel basket. 

Thus the infinite regions of space 
which bad at first brought life to 
Earth, then death and decline, now 
supplied the seeds of a new vegeta- 
tive life. They were freakish, fantas- 
tic growths. They multiplied with 
incredible rapidity. They grew in dry 
places and flourished on the sparest 
soil. Their violent coloring over- 
shadowed the old, sere, vanishing 
vegetation native to Earth. But the 
new plants brought the promise of 
life, though there would eventually 



be no human eyes to see it, no hu- 
man existence for it to sustain and 
nourish. 

By the summer’ of 2022, in spite of 
the riotous colors and unearthly 
forms that the new growths cast 
across the land areas, an atmosphere 
of utter desolation prevailed. Tokyo, 
levelled long before by earthquake 
and Are, had never been rebuilt. Half- 
starved degenerates prowled through 
its wreckage. Abandoned vehicles 
rusted on the boulevards of Paris. 
Every pane of glass had been smashed 
in store windows. Dust eddied on 
empty shelves and down the corridors 
of deserted buildings. 

The now rare fogs of London veiled 
a metropclis of tomblike silence. A 
miasmic, rotting odor polluted the 
waterfront, where thousands of ships 
rusted and rotted. 

S AN FRANCISCO, Chicago, 
Buenos Aires, Moscow, all the 
great capitals of former days, had 
succumbed to the swift encroach- 
ments of fire, pillaging, weather, to 
human assaults add the destructive 
agencies of time. Less than ten thou- 
sand inhabitants occupied New York 
City. All California did not contain 
one-tenth the population that San 
Diego alone had possessed a century 
earlier. 

The average age of the survivors 
had risen td more than seventy years. 
And only then did the last of man- 
kind Become aware of the new inheri- 
tors of the planet. 

It was not strange that they re- 
ceived such belated knowledge of a 
fact that must have existed for de- 
cades. Ever since the day of the Black 
Fog rumors had spread. A woman in 
Tiiwt escaped the universal fate. An 
Indian in the upper regions of the 
Amazon had borne triplets. A tribe 
of Eskimos had miraculously been 
spared. The eflects of the Black Fog 
had worn off various persons through- 
out the world. But as each rumor 
proved unfounded, and as the years 
and decades passed with no indication 
that buraani^ would survive, apathy 
greeted the legends of birth. 

Then, too, yast primitive areas of 



BLACK FOG 



41 



the world — the interior of Africa, 
the jungles of South America, the 
plains of Australia — sparsely settled 
before the coming of the Black Fog, 
had been the first from which man- 
kind disappeared after its arrival. 
And it was these remote, forgotten 
regions that fostered the new life. 

Hayle-Phillips had truthfully writ- 
ten that the Black Fog destroyed the 
ability of each species to reproduce 
itself. Most of the vertebrates of the 
orders lower than man had quickly 
passed info extinction. 

But cross-breeding, the mating of 
unlike species, had not been stopped 
by the strange Black Fog. The occa- 
sional hybrid unions that had pro- 
duced freaks of the animal world be- 
fore the Black Fog had continued af- 
terward, and from these ill-assorted 
matings issued monsters and new 
types. The majority died. Those that 
survived had the power of reproduc- 
tion. 

A fantastic, dangerous, and crafty 
type of panther-ape has begun to 
overrun Africa. The creature is equal- 
ly at home on the ground, in the trees, 
and in water. It possesses rudimen- 
tary speech, utilizes its forelimbs to 
protect itself and construct shelter, 
uses shrill, yowling words, and dom- 
inates other hybrids. 



The jungles of South America have 
bred a sub-human species whose or- 
igins are not known. The creature 
attains a length of five feet, is cov- 
ered with a coarse wool, has hoofs 
upon its hind limbs and digits upon 
its forepaws, and employs a limited, 
bleating speech. It somewhat resem- 
bles the deity Pan of Greek mythol- 
ogy. 

Whether the course of evolution 
will carry them along toward the peak 
of a new civilization in centuries to 
come we shall never know, or whether 
they multiply with fecundity, or 
whether disease and battle extermi- 
nate them. Perhaps the history of 
civilization has been written and the 
sub-human things will sink lower. 
Or perhaps they will develop during 
the far future greater powers and re- 
sources than man. They may evolve 
a cultural pattern or a weirdly mon- 
strous civilization beyond our imag- 
ination. 

We who are left care little. We 
are old and white-haired. The tolls of 
age are telling upon us, the afflictions 
and burdens of time. Unlovely women 
and wrinkled men, we hobble down 
desolate streets. We are the dying 
remnants of civilization. We are the 
voices crying in the wilderness, and 
only sub-human chatter answers us. 



In the next issue: Earth’s First Space Migration in 
THE ASTOUNDING EXODUS, a novelette 
bf world conquest by NEIL R. JONES 




FOIUD! 

Scrapes are foiled forever^once you 
atari shaving with Star Single-edge 
Blades. Made since 1880 by the inven- 
tors of the original safety razor. Keen, 
loQg-Iaating, oniferm. If your dealer 
can’t lupply you, mail 10< for 4 blades 
to Dept. T2*-10, Star Blade Division, 

8d Johnson St., Brooklyn, M. Y. 

FIT CEM AND EVER-REAOY RAZORS 






BRAIN OF VENUS 

Spurred On by His Thirst for Vengeance, the Mighty 
Lu Sang Unleashes Invulnerable Forces of the Universe 
in a Daring Attempt to Annihilate Civilization! 

By JOHN RUSSELL FEARN 

Aatbor of "Tie Man Who Stopped the Dust’* ‘’Mathematics,” etc. 



CHAPTER I 
Mutiny In Space 

C APTAIN BRANT, pilot of 
Liner 762 of the Earth-Mars 
Transit Service, stood quietly 
at attention before the desk of his 
superior. In silence he watched Com- 




Sometbwg grey, veined and throbbing. 
Jay in the undergrowth 

mandant Bradley add the Anal official 
seals to a bulky package, scribble tbe 
details on a check-sheet, and finally 
hand them both across. 

**Brant>” the commandant said 
quietly, looking up, *‘you are under- 



taking an unusual delivery on this 
trip.” 

“Yes, sir,” Brant nodded. 

“In this package, sealed in preserv- 
ing solution, is the brain of Lu Sang. 
At the order of the Imperial Surgical 
Council it was removed from that 
notorious Chinese criminars body 
when he was under the anaesthetic 
preceding his death for his countless 
crimes. The object in removing it 
while he still lived was so that bis brain 
would still be alive when transferred 
fo the preserving solution. You will 
take it to Mars and there deliver it to 
Kron, the head surgeon, who will send 
a special messenger to the space 
grounds to meet you. It is his wish to 
Study the brain of a criminal from 
Earth so that he may learn to elimi- 
nate similar traits in Martian brains. 
You understand?” 

“Perfectly, sir,” Brant answered 
crisply. He took the package gin- 
gerly, stuffing the check-sheet in his 
pocket. 

“Very well, then, that is all. Have a 
good trip.” 

Branclt departed with agile strides, 
but once out in the long exterior cor- 
ridor he permitted a frown to come to 
bis face, ft was not the assignment 
that worried himj that was mere 
routine— but the thought of the diffi- 
culties he was likely to encounter on 
this particular voyage to Mars. 

For months now, ever since the new 
Earth-Mars Corporation had been in- 



A Novelette of Un iversai Destruction 



42 



44 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



•tailed, there had been a slowly grow- 
ing trouble among the men — the 
grimy, embittered wretches who toiled 
in the depths of the space monsters, 
tending the rocket-tube equipment, 
grinding out their beings in torrid heat 
and yellow-lit gloom with scarcely any 
remuneration for their services. 

The old system had been better, con- 
trolled by the original discoverer of 
space conquest. But upon his death 
and the accession of the corporation 
into control, all sentiment and mass 
unity had been flung overboard. Every- 
where wages dropped, from those of 
the lowliest rocket-tube charge-hand 
to the cleverest space navigator. And 
now mutiny hovered. Black hate was 
in the cause that had formerly been one 
of good natured, ambitious progress. 

By no means was Brant blind to the 
danger signals. He secretly sympa- 
thized with the men but an uneasy 
premonition that danger was ahead 
had persisted in his mind ever since 
his landing from Mars two days before. 

O NCE aboard the ship Brant went 
direct to his own cabin and there, 
with a sigh of relief, deposited the 
living brain of Lu Sang within the 
safe. He felt better with the infernal 
thing out of his hands. Hardly had he 
put the check-sheet in the flle before 
the door quietly opened and Sub-pilot 
Anderson entered, concern on his 
lean, swarthy face. 

“The men are grumbling again, sir,” 
he announced. “I thought I had better 
tell you. I’ve heard rumors — about 
mutiny, about turning the passengers 
and masters adrift at the halfway line 
in a safety ship, taking over control 
of this vessel themselves. All sorts of 
things.” 

Brant stood with tightened lips for 
a moment, then he shrugged. 

“At the best, just rumors, Ander- 
son,” he said grimly. “We’ll meet 
trouble when it comes. Get to your 
post— give the starting order. Time’s 
up.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

Anderson departed swiftly to the 
control cabin. After a moment’s 
thought Brant followed suit. 

He gave his orders for the depar- 



ture mechanically, watched every- 
thing mechanically through the mas- 
sive windows at the black rotunda of 
the void as the liner, gathering mo- 
mentum, cleaved through the last 
vestiges of Earth's atmosphere into 
the inflnity beyond. At once the out- 
look changed; the silvery translu- 
cence of the stratosphere heights had 
gone. 

Space was studded with brilliantly 
glittering points of light. To Brant 
it all had no meaning; he was com- 
pletely familiar with the stars. Mu- 
tiny! That was what dinned across 
his brain and frayed his nerves. 

And while he wondered, that which 
he feared was maturing below in the 
bowels of the ship. Blackie Grednow, 
perhaps the oldest rocket charge-hand 
on the spaceways, stood beside his 
own particular fueling unit, massive 
hand on the metalwork. His little 
bloodshot eyes peered at his eleven al- 
most naked comrades with the smol- 
dering fire of excitement. 

“Everything’s all set,” he announced 
eagerly. “We’ve got to strike on this 
trip ; we’ve waited long enough. You 
know the plans — we take over the ship 
just as we near the halfway line, drive 
her back to Earth, then hold her there 
and refuse to land until new condi- 
tions are agreed to. That under- 
stood?” 

The men nodded silently. 

“WeVe facing Brant, Blackie,” com- 
mented one of them. “Had you reck- 
oned with that?” 

“Brant?” The dirt-and sweat- 
streaked ex-criminal spat eloquently. 
“He’ll crumple up like steel before a 
ray-tube when we get on to him. But 
remember! There’s to be no blood- 
shed — ^there are passengers aboard, 
valuable passengers. We can’t afford 
to defeat our own ends. You know 
your places when I give the signal. 
Now — back to work.” 

Silently the men returned to their 
tasks, but in the mind of one of them 
at least were personal pl^is. Newton 
reflected that it was one thing to 
achieve amenable conditions aboard a 
space ship by force — ^but it was dis- 
tinctly another to make use of the 
wealth the ship contained. There 



BRAIN OF VENUS 



45 



must gold and valuables aboard— 
there always were on an Earth-Mars 
voyage. Captain Brant^s safe usually 
held cargo of tremendous value. It 
was of this that Newton thought, and 
plotted for individual action when the 
time came to strihe. 

C APTAIN BRANT began to feel 
more at ease as the days passed 
on and everything worked with per- 
fect clocklike order. His vigilance be- 
gan to relax. It was the one move for 
which Blackie Grednow had been 
waiting 

Suddenly, without the least warn- 
ing, the repulsor rocket-tubes came in- 
to being. The ship began to slow 
down rapidly in its tremendous head- 
long rush toward the red planet. Far 
away in the infinite blackness of the 
void the planet hung, a roseate globe 
no l^u-ger than a tennis ball. 

immediately the alarm bell rang. 
Passengers raced to and fro, heading 
for the safety space ships. Brant, 
tight-lipped, swung rdund from his 
controls, Anderson by his side — then 
both of them stopped in their move- 
ment as they beheld Blackie himself 
standing just inside the doorway, a 
levelled ray-tube in his grimy fist. 

“Better not” he advised grimly. 
“Nothing will happen if you do as I 
say. Just remember the passengers.^* 
“Well, what do you want?” Brant 
snapped, gflancing helplessly at his 
own ray-tube In its rack. 

“Complete control of the ship. You 
are to obey my orders. Everybody is 
covered; Fm warning you. You*re go- 
ing down below where we*ve been. 
You know the work down there. I’m 
giving orders from now on — ” 
Blackie broke off with a sudden 
start at the sound of the scream from 
the corridor outside. He took a step 
back, glariced in amazement, then 
looked back into the cabin. 

“Brant, forget my demands for the 
moment,” he said curtly. “You know 
Tm only aiming at getting justice. 
Some dirty skunk among that rabble 
of mine has betrayed me. Come on !” 
Instantly Brant and Anderson 
seized their weapons and followed the 
cursing Blackie from the control 



chamber. They came upon a scene that 
caused Blackie mercilessly to level his 
weapon for action. The rocket crew, 
seizing upon their mistaken idea of 
liberty, was completely out of hand, 
forcing the shouting, furious passen- 
gers back into the main stateroom. 
Those who wefe protesting were not 
ashed twice ; ray-tubes mercilessly 
mowed them down. 

“Stop, damn youP* Blackie thun- 
dered. “Stop, you blasted space rats, 
or by — ” 

“Justice!” roared a voice, that of 
Arnold Benson, perhaps one of the 
most fractious members of the rocket 
crew. “Justice! You were going to 
g^ive us that, Blackie ! Betray us more 
likely! We^re taking what we can get 
and no questions—” 

“Not labile I'm in charge !” Blackie 
bellowed back, striding forward. Then 
he stopped, uttered the faintest of 
sounds, and fell prone to the floor, 
killed on the spot by the deadly force 
of Benson’s ray-tube. 

For perhaps three seconds there was 
horrified silence. Passengers and men 
alike looked on in blank stupefaction 
— then Brant leaped into action and 
charged forward. Anderson came be- 
hind him like a whirlwind. 

In the space of a minute the main 
stateroom was a tumbled mass of fight- 
ing, battling figures. Ray-tubes fla5ied 
dangerously, men and women fell. 
When at last it was over the figures 
of Benson, Newton, and another man 
named Mason rose up from the car- 
nage, blood-streaked and victorious 
figures, gazing down on the dead 
bodies of Captain Brant and Ander- 
son, and the others who had been 
mowed down in their efforts at escape. 

“So that's how it is,” Benson mut- 
tered thickly. “All right — so be it. 
You men”— he glared savagely at a 
hftlf dozen first-class passengers — 
“can get your coats off and find out 
what it's like controlling the rocket- 
tubes. You others will stay here for 
the time being, and don’t attempt any 
moves if you want to live to get back 
to Earth. Come on, you two!” He 
made a motion to bis two surviving 
comrades and they strode off to the 
control cabin. 



46 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



O NCE within they looked at each 
other dubiously. 

‘‘Clever enough,” commented New- 
ton presently. “But how do you figure 
on living it down? Nine rocket hands, 
the captain and sub-pilot, and some 
two dozen passengers— all killed. We 
dare not return to Earth with all those 
dead.” 

”We*re not going to,” Benson 
growled. “We’re going on to Mars 
and there we’ll become heroes. There 
was a mutiny — Blackie Grednow 
started it. We got things under con- 
trol after a hard fight. The passengers 
won’t talk, they’re too scared. Leave 
it to me.” 

“Say, do you realize that we’re near- 
Iv five thousand miles off our course?” 
'demanded Mason, turning from the 
route-checkers. “While that fight 
lasted we drifted—” 

“Then don’t waste time talking. 
Give orders to those idiots down be- 
low to fire the off-tubes. We’re drift- 
ing — and quickly.” Benson glared 
through the observation window. Far 
away to the left hung the argent ball 
of Venus, blazing silently through 
space. Through an immense arc lay 
Mars, miles out of the charted dead- 
line. 

“Sure you know how to chart the 
course?” Newton asked. 

“Of course I do.” 

“All right then — ^I’ll go and get the 
passengers and crew to work. You 
and Mason can look after things here 
Join you later.” 

Newton departed, but not toward 
the passengers locked in the state- 
room. Instead he stole softly down 
the deserted promenade deck until he 
arrived at the dead Brant’s cabin. 
Softly he opened the door and went 
inside. Within a moment he had slid 
aside the partition that concealed the 
regulation safe; with a grim smile on 
his face he levelled his ray-tube. 

“First come, first served,” he com- 
mented thoughtfully, as he watched 
the heavy door drip to molten metal 
beneath the ray’s impact. Then at last 
he was satisfied. Taking care to avoid 
the hot metal edges he reached inside 
and drew forth the contents. 

The brain of Lu Sang he laid on the 



table after a casual glance at it. To 
him it was worthless. There were 
other things of greater Import. A car- 
go of precious stones from New 
York’s most lucrative coffers; a 
medicinal shrub of immense value for 
planting on Mars ; money to the value 
of fifty thousand dollars in notes. 




Newton chuckled and rubbed his 
hands as he took stock. Then the 
broad smile on his face faded as a 
shadow fell across the treasure. 

He looked up sharply. Benson was 
immediately behind him, grim, rugged, 
cruel. 

“So, you blasted rat, this is how you 
fix the passengers, eh?” Benson asked 
slowly, grinning viciously. “I come 
here to look for Brant’s charting di- 
rections, and I find you’ve cleaned out 
the safe! All right — you’re finished!” 

“Wait!” Newton implored hoarsely, 
as Benson whirled him toward the 
emergency space chamber. “Wait! I’ll 
do anything you want! Anything—” 

“You’ll do nothing!” Benson re- 
torted, and with a tremendous shove 
sent the luckless Newton sprawling 
into the space chamber. A second 
afterward the heavy sealing door 
closed, accomplishing two things. The 
closing of the door dropped the 
screaming Newton into the infinite 
void of space, reduced him instantly 
to a tiny, frozen satellite of the space 
ship itself. Used only for emergency 
explorations in a space suit, or for re- 
pairs, the space chamber was a death 
trap to anyone unprotected. 

For a moment Benson stood gazing 
at the hoard on the table, then he 
swung round as Mason came rushing 
in. The man took no notice of the 
treasure; his expression w^ one of 
utter terror. 

“Benson, unless we can chart the 




BRAIN OF VENUS 



47 



course we’re sunk!” he shouted des- 
perately. **XhQse damned fools down 
below dott^t understand rocketry. 
We’re being pulled aside — ^we’re with- 
in the gravitational field of Venus. 
Haven’t you found Brant’s charting 
sheets anywhere?” 

“No.” Benson set his jaw. “I can’t 
chart a course^ Mason; 1 thought 1 
could. I’m only a rocket man, not a 
navigator. Hell| if only Brant had not 
been killed I” 

“Newton 1 What about him? He 
knows more than most.” 

“He won’t be able to help us,” Ben- 
sim answered slowly, and cast an un- 
noticed glance out of the window at 
the frozen grey spot that denoted the 
late rocket man. 

‘Well, anyhow, something’s got to 
be done. We must fire all tubes away 
from Venus—” 

ESPERATION caused Mason to 
leave his sentence unfinished. He 
floundered from the cabin, pursued by 
the alarmed Benson. Together they 
entered the control cabin and tried 
fiercely to calculate intricacies that it 
bad taken trained men many years to 
master. It simply couldn’t be done. 

Benson stared with a blanched face 
at the growing face of Venus, world 
of mystery, far ahead. Venus, the 
world unknown. A strange icy terror 
crept the length of his spine. Venus 
—so lovely, so radiant, yet hiding be- 
neath her dense, watery atmosphere 
with its high light reflective capacity, 
the first forms of squirming, terrible 
life. Those who had dared to descend 
on Venus’ surface had never returned. 

And with the seconds Venus was 
growing. Mars was far away now, re- 
treating with every second. The space 
ship, uncontrolled, unmanageable, 
raced with ever growing speed 
through infinity, chained by the plan- 
et’s gravitation. 

In the stateroom the passengers 
milled to and fro, battling to obtain a 
view through the windows at the in- 
evitable death speeding through space 
toward them. 

Faster — faster, through the growing 
minutes, while two rocket men tried 
vainly to figure the right way. 



Faster. . . , 

Until at last the space liner hit the 
outermost edges of the Venusian dt- 
mosphere, screamed with unholy 
speed through it, and crashed at la^ 
with terrific, buckling force into an 
immense mountain. 



CHAPTER II 
The Brain of Lu Sang 

T he mysterious disappearance p£ 
Liner 762 was the one topic of 
conversation on both Mars and Earth 
for many a long day afterward. The 
n^stery vied in popularity with that 
01 the old time sea vessel, Mary 
Ceieste. No thought of mutiny seemed 
to enter anybody’s head; there had 
been no suspicion of it upon dep^- 
ture. Communications of sympathy 
were sent through the void from every 
tenanted planet, even from the stranae 
denizens of distant Phito, who sent, in 
their own queer fashion, their deepest 
condolences. 

Scout machines tirelessly searched 
the spacew^s for some sigh of the 
missing liner, but no traces did they 
find. Venus was thought of as the pos- 
sible soluticm — but only thought of. 
There had yet to be a man with rierve 
enough to risk again the mysteries of 
that awful world. So the mystery of 
762 remained a mystery. 

Perhaps the most interested of all 
in the disappearance was the lean, 
saturnine Roy Jelferson, chi^f scien- 
tist and radio bead of the New York 
space depot. M 3 rsteries in space were 
his hobby, tempting danger his rnily 
delight in life. For a long time after 
the general hue and cry had died down 
the mystery of 762 continued to absorb 
bis mind, though even he could make 
no move toward solving it. Neverthe- 
less, he was alive for the faintest pos- 
sible clue, and in a good position to 
receive any, for through him came all 
interstellar messages. 

And while he pondered through the 
passing months, something strange 
was occurring on Venus, within half a 
mile of the wreckage of 762. At first 
sight the view was but that already 




48 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



familiar to the hapless explorers who 
had come from Earth — and never re- 
turned. 

Gigantic trees, overburdened with 
dense, over-ripe foliage of a bilious 
green hue towered upward from the 
steamy and impassable undergrowth 
that rioted on the spongy ground. 
Ever)rwhere there was steam — the 
dank and insuperable heat of a very 
young and deadly world, twenty-six 
million miles nearer the sun than 
Earth, filled with gases mainly poison- 
ous in their sheer, undiluted potency. 
Occasionally clouds drifted in the 
brilliantly blue sky, but in the main 
the sun blazed eternally on this, the 
day side, of Ve.nus. Long since had 
Earthlings disproved clouds as the 
cause of Venus’ brilliance in the sky; 
water-v^por in enormous quantities 
was the explanation. 

And, near the ruins of 762, there was 
undoubtedly a change. Something 
grey and indeterminable lay in the un- 
dergrowth, something veined and 
throbbing, nauseous in appearance — 
the brain of Lu Sang. Flung from the 
table where it had been placed by 
Newton, in the space ship’s crash it 
had rolled through a rent in the wall 
and dropped, practically unharmed, 
into the midst of the loam and nutri- 
tion rife in the Venusian forest land. 
Life stalked every corner of that 
weird vastness — life in its first mys- 
terious stages, chemical change. 

The very ground was saturated 
with the elements of protoplasm — car- 
bon, hydrogen, phosphorus, calcium — 
all ^ong the scale of chemicals. And 
into the midst of this, into the midst 
of an atmosphere plentifully supplied 
with carbon dioxide, had fallen a brain 
that still lived, a brain independent of 
a body that would otherwise have 
killed it— a brain absorbing unto itself 
all the young and healthy life that 
teemed about it, gathering strength, 
living, arising from the gulfs of men- 
tal suspension into which an earthly 
anaesthetic had originally plunged it. 

Venus, the hell planet, receptive to 
life, in its early evolutionary stages. 
Its heavy atmosphere, permeated with 
a rich gaseous content, and the raw 
chemicals abundant in the protoplas- 



mic soil all helped the alien brain to 
grow, expand and live. Cell tissue 
growth accelerated; a;id Nature, high- 
ly adaptive on embryonic Venus, 
quickly created a protective healing 
shell for the brain that would guard 
it against harmful bacteri$i and unfav- 
orable climatic conditions. Mental life 
had come to Venus, mental life des- 
tined to go on, unhindered. 

F or two years after the disappear- 
ance of 762 events came and went 
uneventfully upon all the populated 
planets— Earth. Mars, Saturn and 
Pluto. Then on the memorable night 
of January 10th, 1999, there came tne 
first hint of something amiss — a des- 
perate cry from the denizens of Pluto, 
flashed to Earth by ultra-radio, and 
Jefferson, in charge, was the first to 
receive it. 

“Mental changes affecting Pluto’s 
inhabitants. Please investigate. Very 
urgent.” 

That was all, like a cry in a storm, 
and all efforts to recommunicate with 
Pluto failed completely. Jefferson 
dutifully submitted the message to 
Headquarters. Scout machines went 
out to investigate, and found nothing. 
Jefferson, however, the mystery of 762 
still hovering in his keen brain, pon- 
dered the cry deeply, and as the days 
went on It became evident that the 
Plutonians had not sent their warning 
without cause. Something was amiss 
— a strange and incredible thing, af- 
fecting now the inhabitants of both 
Mars and Earth, and in a lesser degree 
on account of their slow receptive 
powers, the Saturnians. 

Men underwent inexplicable trans- 
formations. They varied between su- 
preme genius and profound idiocy, 
able to understand the entire cosmos 
in one moment, and yet baffled by a 
simple addition sum the next. Man 
lost touch with himself; he began to 
feel the influence of an immense and 
overpowering mentality exerting its 
effect upon him. From somewhere in 
space a gigantic brain force was in 
action. 

At the very first sign of the mental 
disturbances Jefferson went direct to 
the commandant of the spaceways. 



BRAIN OF VENUS 



49 



“There seems to be danger about, 
sir. A menace is threatening us and 
we’ve got to find out where it is com- 
ing from. Where there is danger, that 
is where I can be found. What are my 
orders, sir?” 

Commandant Bradley pondered. 

“I hardly know, Jefferson. The 
whole thing is so sudden; we don’t 
know where to look. I have a report 
here from Grafol of Mars. His etheric 
detectors place the disturbance as 
coming from or near Venus. The 
periods of mental perturbation are 
varied. They continue for so long, 
stop suddenly, then go on again. The 
reason for the momentary stoppages 
remains a mystery at the moment. But 
we do know that the mental oppres- 
sion is getting worse. All of us have 
felt it. But the idea of Venus being 
behind it is absurd! Venus is a young 
world, a world from which no man has 
ever come back alive.” 

“Early pioneers without modern 
equipment, sir,” Jefferson replied 
promptly. Then, more seriously, 
“From my own olreervations it seems 
that this mentality is no ordinary <me. 
It is gifted with finesse and polish, 
able to exact its requirements no nat- 
ter what is incurred. A brain of high 
training, on Venus ! But — how?** 
“Wait!” the commandant inter- 
rupted suddenly, his expression 
changing. “A brain of high training— 
Good God, I wonder if it is possible !” 
“What, sir?” 

“Do you remember the mysterious 
disappearance of Liner 762?” 

Jefferson smiled whimsically. 

“I’ve never ceased to think of it, 

sir” . . , 

“Aboard that liner was a criminal 
brain, alive; it belonged to Lu Sang, 
the Chinese criminal. I wonder if 762 
landed on Venus and the brain rooted 
itself there? Is it entirely beyond 
possibility?” 

Jefferson stared at his superior 
blankly. “I think your guess is dead 
correct, sir. Venus must be visited 
right away. I’d like that opportunity, 
sir; it is the kind of thing I’ve been 
longing for for years.” 

The commandant nodded wearily. 
“I have no time to haggle ; the danger 



is very real and imminent. You have 
my permission to leave the moment 
you are able. I’ll assign Andrews to 
take over. But for the love of heaven, 
man, watch your step! Venus is no 
child’s playground.” 

The lean radio chief nodded com- 
posedly. 

“If it were I wouldn’t be going!” 

W ITH the sunset Jefferson de- 
parted from Earth in a small 
express space flier, accompanied only 
by two of his closest comrades who, 
like himself, were never happy unless 
endangering their lives in some way 
or other. Stanhope and Bragg were 
their names, the one small and heavy, 
the other tall and sinewy, and both of 
them loyal to the cause in which they 
had spent their lives. 

With terrific speed the space ma- 
chine shot from E^rth into space. Out 
here in the void, the three adventurers 
felt the mental forces in all their in- 
tensity. Beating waves of mental 
compulsion that brought the sweat to 
their faces in the effort of concentrat- 
ing against them. 

“Whatever it is it’s sure got a hell 
of a kick,” breathed Stanhope, turn- 
ing a strained face. “How do you 
figure on beating it, Jeff?” 

“I don’t,” Jefferson answered grim- 
ly. “I just want to locate it on this 
trip. How to beat it will come later. 
You’ve got to show me the thing — 
even if it is a brain — that can defeat 
the science of nineteen ninety-nine. 
Now hang on — we’re going places!” 
So saying be increased the accelera- 
tion. Never for an instant did the un- 
known power of Venus relax. With 
the shortening distance its intensity 
grew, until when at last the hurtling 
flier was within a few thousand miles 
of the white planet, it was almost more 
than the men could do to concentrate 
on their tasks. The mentality waves 
were forcing them to turn back, to 
leave Venus to its own devices and, 
little by little, they began to submit. 
The ship gradually came to a near 
standstill over the glittering atmos- 
phere of the planet. 

Jefferson turned a rigid, ashen face 
to bis comrades. 



50 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



“WcVe— we’ve got to obey,” he 
muttered mechanically. “Turn back.” 
He moved to the controls, then sud- 
denly — staggeringly so— the mental 
compulsion ceased. Something large 
and dark, moving with considerable 
speed, blotted out the vision of Venus’ 
glaring surface. The space ship swung 
around violently, snatched by a sud- 
den strong grayitational field. In- 
stantly the three were hurled off their 
feet, crashed helplessly into the wall, 
and lapsed into insensibility. 

Jefferson returned to his senses 
aware that the space ship was in the 
midst of the blackest shadow, relieved 
only inside the cabin by the faint light 
of the stars. Puzzled, aching, he re- 
vived his two comrades and they 
moved in bewilderment to the win- 
dow. Instantly their eyes became 
fixed to a small and desolate land- 
scape, shining grey and metallic in the 
starlight. As the moments passed they 
did not, as they expected, move across 
the terrain; it kept steady pace with 
them. 

Jefferson screwed his head around 
the angle of the deeply sunk window 
and peered above. Then and then only 
did he behold the edge of a blinding 
crescent — the edge of Venus itself. 

“A Venusian moon — amazingly 
tiny!” he gasped. “A small planetoid 
of some kind of metal. But still a 
moon. Too small almost for observa- 
tion from Earth.” 

“And we’re caught in its tiny attrac- 
tive field,” commented Stanhope. 
“Well, it’s interesting anyhow. 
What’s next?” 

“Have you noticed,” Jefferson said 
slowly, “that the mental compulsion 
has now ceased?” 

“Odd,” was Bragg’s comment. 

“Odd tu>thing; it can mean only one 
thing. The metal of this satellite is of 
such an order as to block mental 
waves. It probably blocks all sorts of 
other electrical waves as well. Mental 
waves are electrical basically, must be. 
It's obvious now why mental compul- 
sion on Earth stops periodically and 
then resumes. It must coincide with 
the time when this moon comes be- 
tween the Venusian brain and Earth. 
All the other planets report the same 



occurrence,” Jefferson informed him. 

“And Venus itself?” Stanhope ques- 
tioned. “What do we do? Explore?” 
Jefferson shook his head. 

“Too dangerous. We’d never stand 
it. We can take it for granted that Lu 
Bang’s brain somehow took root in the 
chemicals of Venus, which has given 
it overpowering and increasing men- 
tal force. No, the best course is to 
anchor a section of this satellite’s sur- 
face and take it back to Earth as a 
protection against mental attack. Thus 
shielded we can work out a plan to 
defeat this trouble — if it’s humanly 
possible.” 

WeFFERSON paused and looked 
around as the radio contact to 
earth suddenly buzzed urgently. In an 
instant he had the receivers to his 
ears. The voice of Commandant 
Bradley came to him over the infinite 
distance. 

“That you, Jefferson? What have 
you found?” Then before Jefferson 
could reply the urgent voice con- 
tinued, “Something terrible is happen- 
ing! We’ve received news from the 
Saturnians that space itself is chang- 
ing. Distant nebulae and galaxies are 
disappearing, being swallowed up in 
void. The trouble is also affecting our 
own solar system. Pluto has gone; 
Neptune reveals signs of also vanish- 
ing. We’ve had to use a couple of 
power ray machines to keep Earth 
steady because of the shifting of the 
balance. We’ve got one trained on the 
sun and the other on Alpha Centauri. 
’That’ll keep us safe for the time be- 
ing. But that isn’t all. Some sort of 
protoplasm has appeared on Earth, 
and it radiates mentality. It’s over- 
coming the world — ” 

The voice trailed down into silence 
and ceased. Frantically Jefferson 
buzzed the contactor, without success. 
Bitter-faced, he flung down the re- 
ceivers and made a brief explanation 
to his wondering companions. ^ 
“Things are getting tough!” 
whistled Stanhope. “Vanishing plan- 
ets, protoplasm! What the devil next? 
What’s it all for, I wonder?” 

“This is no time to ask questions,” 
Jefferson snorted. “We’ve got to act 



BRAIN OF VENUS 



51 



—fast. Give me a band with the blast- 
tubes ; we’re taking some of this moon 
back to Earth. Quickly!” 

Without another word the three set 
to work, each performing his part of 
the task with absolute assurance. Dis- 
integrator blast-tubes, operated from 
the base of the ship, set to work and 
cut a full square mile of the appar- 
ently solid satellite below. For a time 
that iron grey surface was ripped and 
torn with shafts of energy, then, as 
they ceased their activity the magne- 
tizers came into action. 

Immediately, the mile-square sheet, 
jagged-edged, was tom from its native 
bed and floated into space. In re- 
sponse the space ship adjusted her 
position to the new balance and a 
blinding segment of Venus appeared 
beyond the satellite’s edge. 

"Full speed ahead,” Jefferson 
snapped. 

The rocket-tubes roared and under 
their influence the ship began to pull 
away from the tiny satellite’s weak 
gravitation, drew slowly out into the 
void away from Venus, the section of 
severed moon trailing at an unvarying 
distance in the rear, weightless, 
chained only by the space ship’s own 
small gravity and powerful magne- 
tizers. 

Little by little the immense bulk of 
Venus began to appear as the distance 
increased and the satellite’s width 
correspondingly lessened. And as it 
did so the mental compulsions re- 
turned. 

Again the trio wrestled desperately 
with the mental waves, but this time 
they felt more than compulsion. There 
was a message, a distinct message, an 
impression of thought waves, as 
though a voice were speaking. Silent 
and rigid they listened. 

“ Be warned, before you go too far. 
You are grappling with the brain of 
Lu Sang, a brain that formerly lay in 
a pitifully inadequate earthly body. 
The time has come when I have 
learned all that matter has to tell ; that 
being so I seek the region of pure 
thought, the thought that exists where 
matter is not. Originally in the dim 
beginning there was naught but space; 
the accident of certain crystallizing 



radiations produced matter — a cancer 
in the midst of an otherwise uniform 
sea of thought-impressions With my 
knowledge it is an easy matter to pro- 
duce a radiation capable of causing 
atomic collapse through the medium 
of heat, the destruction of matter and 
its resolution into apparently empty 
space. 

“Not until space is empty and all 
life destroyed can I obtain the real 
concept of thought. My mental radia- 
tions now are disturbing matter life, 
reducing it to the final stage when it 
will be a simple matter to destroy the 
living bodies without impairing the 
minds. These perturbations are caused 
entirely by the efforts of the human 
mentalities to escape from their 
Earthbound bodies. In the end they 
will all escape — that is my aim. So, 
puny humans, do not attempt to stand 
in my way. You may struggle as you 
wish, invent all you desire, but your 
end is inevitable.” 

W ITH that the communication 
ceased, but the mental pertur- 
bations continued. The three men 
said nothing, and in a manner purely 
mechanical drove the flier steadily 
back toward Earth. 

When ultimately they gained the 
landing grounds mechanical devices 
o6me into operation to take control of 
the colossal sheet of metal they had 
brought with them. Gently and care- 
fully it was lowered to the ground, 
then, opening the door, Jefferson 
found himself facing Commandant 
Bradley. 

“Thank God you’re back, Jeffer- 
son,” were his first words. “You got 
my radio report, of course? I was 
overcome at the end by a mental at- 
tack. Things have gone much worse 
while you’ve been away. The proto- 
plasm is everywhere, slowly covering 
Earth. The same stuff has also ap- 
peared on Mars and smothered that 
planet completely, ^e same thing 
will happen to Earth. Worst of all 
are the disappearing planets. Thank 
God we have four force-ray projec- 
tors. Two of them help to keep Earth 
steady during the shiftings of the bal- 
ance. What did you find? Anything?” 



62 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



Briefly Jefferson related everything. 

“So the only bright spot is our 
bringing the metal back with us,” he 
concluded. “It protects us against the 
Brain’s thought waves. We can build 
a shelter of it and work inside with 
peace. It’s our only chance. There 
must be something that can destroy 
this infernal Brain — we've got to find 
something. If we don’t all matter will 
be eliminated and all mind released to 
its primordial level before matter 
came. How many men can you let me 
have, sir?” 

“You can have the entire space unit. 
We’re running no space ships now.” 

Jefferson nodded. 

“Send them to me, sir, and at the 
earliest moment we’ll figure ways and 
means. Now, let’s get busy.” 



CHAPTER III 
The Brain Speaks 



r r the days that followed men 
labored to build a small shed from 
the material of the Venusian moon. 
It was hard work-cruelly hard— but 
the need for urgency accomplished 
wonders. 

And while the men struggled to 
erect the building on the space 
grounds, death was stalking in every 
comer of Earth. From every city 
came news of the steady death of 
populations, of people of weak mental 
resistance overcome by the onslaughts 
of the Venusian brain. The now vast 
seas of protoplasmic matter that also 
smeared Earth’s surface were impossi- 
ble things to fight. 

“The stuff isn’t brain matter, sir,” 
Jefferson explained to his worried su- 
perior. “It’s really unintelligent 
chemical, but somehow, probably 
through the medium of electricity, the 
distant Brain has managed to excite 
the atoms of lowly chemicals existing 
in the very ground into a formation of 
protoplasm. The stuff has a cellular 
reflective power which enables it to 
reflect the mental outpourings of the 
Brain with tremendous amplification, 
just as a mirror reflects the sunlight. 
The Brain is using it, 1 imagine, pure- 



ly to increase the potency of his 
thought-range. Since the same thing 
happened on Mars it seems a logical 
conclusion. By this means the Brain 
has doubled his power, can reach 
everywhere.” 

“And now?” Bradley asked drearily. 
“How do we fight it?” 

“We still have time,” Jefferson an- 
swered grimly. “The shelter is fin- 
ished. Inside the but we are perfectly 
safe. And the only way to defeat the 
Brain is by electricity. One electric 
wave can always upset another if you 
go about it properly. Brain-radiation*?, 
or thought-waves, are electrical in 
nature. These incoming mental waves 
are in the vicinity of one hundred and 
ninety thousand frequency, working 
on the new Crookes-Matthew Table. 
Frequencies of that order are far and 
away in advance of anything yet pro- 
duced on Earth, and the only way we 
can get it is by the electric and almost 
inexhaustible discharge of smashing 
atoms. You see, if we can once achieve 
a similar number of frequencies and 
direct them at Venus, it seems obvi- 
ous that like will repulse like. 

“In other words, the power of the 
Brain will be so heterodyned, or 
turned aside, as to cease to have effect. 
Then, while the effect is maintained 
and the Brain is helpless we will ven- 
ture near enough to Venus’ surface to 
smash it out of existence with large- 
sized ray-tubes. That cannot be done 
without the Brain being temporarily 
incapacitated. Normally it can turn 
aside any ray-tube in existence. It is 
virtually indestructible, unless under 
the anaesthesia of frequencies of a 
like power to its own.” 

^‘Go to it,” the commandant en- 
couraged. “I hope it works. And re- 
member, the protoplasm stuff has 
reached West Virginia and is rapidly 
moving eastward. It’ll be here any 
time.” 

Jefferson nodded. “If we’re quick 
we can beat it. I*m going right now 
to make the final details.” 

The equipping and hook-up of the 
directional instruments with the main 
power lines proved a longer job than 
Jefferson had anticipated. Through- 
out ^wo days and nights men milled 



BRAIN OF VENUS 



5S 



and flocked about the job, battling 
with both the elements of time and 
mental trouble. With every passing 
hour the force of the Brain was be- 
coming stronger. Jefferson fumed 
and cursed, listened to desperate radio 
reports that told of the protoplasm’s 
advance into Pennsylvania. 

At six p.m. on the following eve- 
ning, when the cabling and machine 
connections were at last completed, 
Mars vanished from the cosmic map. 
Instantly the two bracing power-rays, 
automatically controlled, changed 
their power, adjusting themselves to 
equal pressure and negating what 
would otherwise have been world- 
shattering earthquakes. Stanhope, 
who had been present at the observa- 
tory when the Martian disaster had 
happened, issued an immediate report. 

T here was nothing particularly 
unusual about the matter, it 
seemed. The Brain was obviously 
capable of utilizing radiations able to 
cause atomic excitation. Hence the 
atoms of Mars bad been agitated 
through continuously rising tempera- 
ture. Mars, it appeared, had passed 
through all the stages of atomic de- 
struction. It had glowed red, then 
white, then violet as the 6000“ C. tem- 
perature was reached. Higher and 
higher, until tremendous X-rays had 
poured forth into space; to be re- 
placed by gamma rays as the tempera- 
ture soared to millions of degrees. The 
nuclei of Mars' atoms had begun to 
tremble, and finally at 2,000,000" had 
collapsed altogether. 

Mars had passed out in a grand 
splash of cosmic rays and ceased to be. 
Why the furious heat of the collaps- 
ing planet had not blistered Earth to 
cinders was a mystery. The only ex- 
planation, apparently, was that the 
Brain had its own ways of working, 
was saving Earth for its own particu- 
lar experiments. 

Jefferson’s jaw squared when he 
heard the news. With hardly a word 
he entered the protective building not 
an hour afterward, accompanied by 
Stanhope, Bragg, and the commandant 
himself. No sooner was the door shut 
than activity began — the main power 



house of the United PowerKnes being 
constantly in television contact. 

Jefferson moved steadily and reso- 
lutely in the midst of the apparatus, 
gazed at the distance-gauge. From his 
calculations, he knew that the main 
immense transmitter, four miles away, 
was pointed so that its outflowing 
radiations would impinge direetly on 
Venus. The remainder of his instru- 
ments told him exactly the load being 
carried, the number of frequencies, 
and countless other electrical details^ 
while way back in the laboratories of 
the Powerline C-:>mpany the atom- 
smashing apparatus was at work. 
Atom-smashing was not a new art to 
the scientists, but the amount of 
energy called for on this occasion 
most certainly was. One hundred and 
ninety-five thousand frequencies! 
That was what it was now. 

It needed at least twelve atom- 
smashing machines, directed upon 
three one-ton blocks of copper to pro- 
duce the desired load. Desperate 
scientists worked in the midst of ter- 
rific heat and light, protected by heavy 
suits and goggled helmets, watching 
an awe-inspiring display of disruption 
and annihilation, the result of which 
was transmitted direct to the protec- 
tive shelter at the space grounds, and 
then to the transmitter itself. 

For two hours, and more, Jefferson 
labored with the switches and resist- 
ances until he finally achieved a 
steady output of one hundred and 
ninety-five thousand frequencies. 

"That's the first part, sir,” he an- 
nounced quietly to the commandant. 
"If I’m correct, the Brain can’t operate 
with that force being hurled at it. 
Naturally the force will be blocked as 
that tiny satellite passes between, but 
that's hardly worth reckoning in. The 
power will remain on until Stanhope, 
Bragg and I have been to Venus and 
blown the Brain to atoms with the 
ray-tubes we’ve had fixed aboard our 
ship. We’ve got to go right away. 
You'd better stqy here, sir. There'll 
be no hitch ; the power is automati- 
cally controlled. Come on, you two.” 

The three ipoved to the door and 
opened it — but instead of an absence 
of mental compulsion, such as they 



54 



THRILLINQ WONDER STORIES 



had expected, there swept in on them 
a trem^dous communication, so in- 
tense that they staggered before it. 

‘*So, you imagine by the use of elec- 
tricity that you can defeat me? You 
pitiful fools! When will you realize 
that the electricity you have hurled 
into space is far from a detriment? 
Rather it is an advantage! 1 discov- 
ered that when the satellite passed me 
and reflected my own radiations. 1 ab- 
sorb it into myself, increase my men- 
tal range to double because you have 
doubled the frequencies. You notice 
liow strong my power is? Realize that 
there is no power that can stop my 
plans. I shall now destroy you in the 
came way 1 destroyed Mars, by a radi- 
ation that will annihilate matter. 
There remains, of the entire spatial 
universe, reckoning, that is, to Alpha 
Centauri, only Karfh and Mercury to 
destroy, together with a few odd 
j>lanetoids and moons. Tomorrow at 
eight in the morning, by Earth time, 
^rth shall pass. RemenA>er that. And 
at that time those who have not suc- 
cumbed to mental power will die in 
the ordinary way.** 

The three men heard no more. They 
.stepped back into the protective shel- 
ter, dazed, alarmed. Almost mechan- 
ically Jefferson gave the stopping or- 
der to the power houses, then he 
turned a bleak face to the others. 

*Tt*s impregnable!" be muttered. 
"Instead of electricity stopping it, it*s 
just used it! Yet there must be a way. 
And we’ve only got twelve hours!" 

He stopped and sat down to think, 
head buried in his hands. 



CHAPTER IV 
The Last Chance 



A T length Jefferson looked up, his 
Am eyes bright. 

“There’s only one chance," he said 
grimly. “It mi^t just work. At eight 
tomorrow the new disruptive radia- 
tion will be hurled at Earth. But what 
is to happen if we deflect the radiation 
and turn It back on Venus?" 

“Presumably it would wreck Ve- 
nus," Stanhope returned obviously. 



“Or the Brain might absorb it. First 
find your deflector.” 

**That’s simple. This satellite metal, 
of which this shelter is built, evident- 
ly reflects all known vibrations and 
does not ^sorb any of them — not even 
thought-waves. The Brain has proved 
that. That being so it is a certainty 
that the Venusian satellite Itself will 
be able to deflect the disruptive radia- 
tions hurled from Venus back onto 
Venus herself." 

“But why won’t the Brain itself ab- 
sorb the reflected radiations?” 

‘‘T'or two reasons. In the first place, 
this new radiation will be inconceiv- 
ably more powerful — too tremendous- 
ly potent for the Brain to nullify or 
absorb. It will annihilate him almost 
instantly. Secondly, in the past the 
Brain drew his energy from outer 
space. Now he's using his own, built- 
up thought power. It’s a fundamental 
law of Nature that no organism can 
survive in its own waste. Just as the 
carbon dioxide we exhale proves fatal 
to other orgsiisms — ^the same carbon 
dioxide al^orbed by the exhaler would 
have a lethal affect on him. Similarly, 
the Brain will be unable to cope with 
his own emanations which will be, in 
a sense, his waste." 

“Agreed," nodded Bragg. “The 
slight difficulty in the way is holding 
the said satellite still enough to ac- 
complish the deflection. You can bet 
your life the Brain has got it all 
worked out to send the disruptive vi- 
brations intermittently as the satellite 
whirls past." 

“Naturally, but I*m thinking of our 
power rays which are holding Earth 
steady. We have two other power 
ra 3 TS, standing by in case of emerg- 
ency. Doesn’t it seem possible that we 
can utilize them? Direct one at our 
moon, which, is infinitely heavier than 
the Venusian satellite, and the other 
at the Venusian satellite itself, the 
power being just sufficient to hold that 
small body steady and stationary at 
the exact moment the Brain fires forth 
the disruptive power. That will cause 
the power to recoil and destroy all 
Venus at exactly eight o’clock. So far 
as the calculation goes, I shall go info 
space and give radio directions to 



BRAIN OF VENUS 



55 



Earth. My instruments will check it.** 
Bragg smiled cynically. 

“And the Brain? How do you ex- 
pect to stand that mentality?” 

“Simple. We have Venus satellite 
metal left over. We can soon fashion 
helmets both for myself and the men 
who will be working the power rays 
on Earth here. We have the apparatus 
to fashion as many helmets as we 
want. With those we will be safe.” 

A t midnight Jefferson left a world 
that was slowly disappearing ut> 
der the steady advance of reflective 
protoplasm. He left satisfied, rough- 
hewn helmet on his head, content that 
Stanhope would see through the final 
details, content too that Bragg would 
expertly handle all the radio messages 
that came to him. He felt confident 
that the Brain vrould not intercept the 
radio messages, mainly because of the 
helmets. 

Two hours after Jefferson’s depar- 
ture Bragg began to receive the neces- 
sary instructions — the rate of the sat- 
ellite, its position — every detail, 
checked by Jefferson’s own instru- 
ments, was given, to be immediately 
relayed by Bragg to the waiting Stan- 
hope. He in turn gave fhe humeted 
engineers the instructions and they 
set to work on the details of the two 
spare force projectors. 

Helraeted as they were the men re- 
ceived no mental distractions, but they 
were forced to struggle constantly 
with ever-expanding protoplasm. New 
York was already a smothered city. 
The only advantage about the stuff 
was that it did not kill or digest hu- 
man beings, merely rendered them un- 
conscious. 

So, watched by the helmeted com- 
mandant, the last conscious men of 
Earth made their last stand, waiting 
for the dawn, listening to the radio 
instructions that came through the si- 
lent night, uttered originally by a lone 
man situated almost stationary one 
thousand miles from the surface of 
the Venusian moon. 

Jefferson himself spent the last 
hours with his eyes glued to the 
chronometer, timed exactly to Earth 
time. Then he gave the firing signal 



to Earth, allowing for the time inter- 
Aral of nearly eight minutes, and a cor- 
responding eig& minutes for the pro- 
jected force to strike the Venusian 
moon. Back on Earth response was 
exact to the second. Lunar and Venu- 
sian force rays were projeeted to the 
pre-calculated second, allowing for 
the differences in distance. Helmeted 
men in the major power house fed the 
immense projector engines, engines 
now working to support four instead 
of two machines. 

Jefferson watted tensely, eyes glued 
to the Venusian satellite. He watched 
breathlessly as it appeared on its usual 
fast journey round the parent world — 
but now there was something differ- 
ent. Its onrush was slowing down. 
Slower. The hands of the chronom- 
eter pointed exactly to eight, and ex- 
actly at the identical second the sat- 
ellite halted, dead in a line between 
Earth and Venus. 

Jefferson never knew what hap- 
pened after that. Too long he had 
lingered, too close to the danger zone, 
drawn by the uncanny fascination of 
it all. 

He had one glimpse of a world 
crumbling and smashing into blinding 
flame, of- a stationary satellite etched 
out against the glare. Vast and tre- 
mendous electrical repercussions beat 
through infinity, seized the infinitesi- 
mally small space ship and hurled it 
into the uttermost reaches of space. 

Jefferson never knew what hap- 
pened. Death claimed him instantly. 
His shi^ slowly returned, wrecked, to 
the position of the shattered Venus 
and gravitated finally as a tiny moon 
around the largest, remaining piece. 

Back on Earth, the danger averted, 
men waited through the da3rs and 
weeks for the return of Jefferson — 
waited long past the time when the 
protoplasm, deprived of the energy 
from Venus that had given it life, had 
died and rotted, long past the time 
when man had recovered himself and 
set himself to the task of rebuilding 
the shattered solar system. The task 
of recreating a balance equalling that 
of the old. 

But Jefferson never returned. He 
had tempted danger once too often. 




A BRAND-NEW, FASCINATING FEATURE 

By J. B. WALTER 



HOW TO DETERMINE THE 
AGE OF FOSSILS 

I T has always been hard to deter> 
mine the age of fossil relics. In 
the past the site surrounding the find 
hag alway>s been carefully exploited 
in the hope that this examination 
would give a clue to the age of the 
specimen. If full information as to the 
site was not forthconringi the age of 
the fossil had to remain indefinite. 

However, all bones contain fat. A 
slow progressive chemical change 
occurs in fat under these conditions 
Over a period of years. An examina- 
tion of the fossil by a chemist will 
show the state of the fat, and reveal 
how long the bone has been slowly 
undergoing changes. 

LIGHTNING ISN'T ALWAYS 
BRIGHT 

T he brilliant discharge we call a 
lightning flash has frequently 
been photographed. It appArs, of 




course, in the picture as bright white 
streahs on a darker backgroimd. 

Even a casual examination of such 
photographs will often reveal sharp 
black streaks, resembling the light- 
ning flash, but in no way related to it. 



They may be jagged black lines per- 
pendicular to the direction of the 
main lightning flash. 

This black lightning has not been 
scientifically explained. There is, 
however, one theory that a peculiar 
wave-length of light is set up which 
reacts on the chemic^ of the pho- 
tographic plate to produce black 
streaks instead of white ones. 

A GREAT CLAMOR MADE 
WITHOUT A SOUND 

A LOUDSPEAKER device yphich 
picks up vibrations that are ut- 
terly without sound and transforms 
them into a terrific din has been per- 
fected by the Bell Telephone labo- 
ratories. The sensitive diaphragm is 
set vibrating, and the vibration bal- 
anced with an electric circuit. 

Any disturbance of the vibration 
throws the balajice out of adjustment 
and the electric circuit immeidiatety 
starts an alarm to ringing. 

The system has been used as a 
burglar alarm in vaults. The slightest 
movement in the vault disturbs the 
delicate vibration of the loudspeaker, 
and this disturbance may be made by 
the movements of an absolutely noise- 
less intruder. 

CANADIAN HARBORS POUR 
INTO AMERICAN PORTS 

T he bottom of the Great Lakes is 
slowly tilting with the result that 
the water level in American harbors 
on the south shore of the lakes is 
rising and there is less water in 
Canadian ports to the north. 

The rise in level is as much as four 



SCIENTIFACTS 



67 



inches each yeas, and saves American 
port authorities many dollars annually 
by cutting the cost of dredging nec- 
essary to maintain the depth of water-* 
ways, 

A POSSIBILiry OF GIGANTIC 
CATASTROPHE THAT WAS 
IGNORED 

R ushing upon the earth at a 
rate greater than twelve hun- 
dred miles an hour, the huge asteroid, 
Anteros, came within a million and a 
half miles of striking the earth. This 




was not merely a gaseous body, but a 
billion tons of matter capable of de- 
stroying a territory as large as any 
state in America and killing every one 
of its inhabitants. 

Despite all our observatories, Antc- 
ros, which missed us by an astro- 
nomical hair’s breadth, was not even 
noticed until it had turned off into 
space and gone more than eight mil- 
lion miles on its way. 

THE CITY OF SAN DiEGO 
MOVES WESTWARD 

T he Naval Observatory reports 
that San Diego, California, has 
moved westward more than forty feet 
in the last seven years. This is offered 
as evidence that the crust of the earth 
floats on a semi-fluid mass and drags 
behind the center of the globe. Thus 
all the continents move westward a 
trifle with each passing day. Or, 
looked at from a different point of 
view, the surface of the earth fails to 



turn eastward as fast as its center 
spins toward the sun. 

THE HOHER THE SUN THE 
COOLER THE HOME 

A COOLING system has been 
patented which is actuated by 
the rays of the sun. A mixture of 
water and ammonia flows through 
pipes exposed to the sun. The am- 
monia boils off and is condensed 
within the house. Upon evaporation it 
cools the surrounding atmosphere. 

The patent calls for a closed system 
in which nothing is lost. In prin- 
ciple it differs little from the usual 
refrigerator which uses a small gas jet, 
but the source of energy employea oy 
the new patent is the free energy of 
the sun’s heat. 

WHEN A MAN WEIGHS 
NOTHING 

W HAT we call weight is the at- 
traction of mass to mass. It is 
the most common effect of gravity. On 
the surface of the earth every part of 
the globe is exerting an equal force 
on every bit of matter on its surface. 
The direction of the force exerts a 




pull toward the center of gravity, 
which, in a globe, is mathematically 
demonstrated to be the center. 

If a man were able to penetrate to 
this point the mass of matter would 
be equally distributed in all directions 
and the pull from all directions would 
be equal, thus neutralizing each other. 
There would be no gravitational pull 
on the man in any direction and so he 
would weigh nothing. 



More SCIENTIFACTS Next Issue 




HE WHO 
MASTERS 
TIME 

A Scientist Explores the 
Unchronicled Centuries 
for Future Lifel 

By J. HARVEY 
HAGGARD 



Author of **Hamaa Maohi/teitt** **ToMter 
Than Light/* otc. 



T he man paused to stare at his 
image in the mirror. The il« 
lumination was not of the best, 
1>eing furnished mainly by the elec- 
trical flashing of lianalike tubes that 
coiled centrally in the room, but it 
was adequate to reveal the trembling 
of his hands. His face, almost cadav- 
erous in its tired eagerness, peered 
back. Dark lines of exhaustion sagged 
beneath his eyes, and his lips were 
bloodless, without expression, even 
though the eyes themselves were as 
alive as two burning embers. 

Richard Sauger clutched at the 
edge of the wash basin to still the 
agitation of his hands. For a moment 
he closed his eyes and stood rigid, al- 
though every muscle in his body was 
protesting against any further effort 
at self-control, and felt the exultation 
seeping within the fiber of his soul. It 
was odd, knowing triumph, after all 
these years. Yet there was the little 
lead box at his feet. He had stood for 
an interminable time, staring at it as 
its rectangular outlines lay s^thed 
in the changing radiations within the 
vortex of the coils. Watched as it 
grew filmy in the violet and dlsap- 

58 



Crystalline substances jutted transparent 
aoghs in a confusing panorama 



HE WHO MASTERS TIME 



59 



peared as though it were a ghost. 
Watched it re-form at last, loom like 
a wraith, and then take shape. 

His own eager hands had jerked 
open the lid, and there were the two 
white rats, safe and unharmed, thrust- 
ing their curious little pink noses up 
calmly, unaware of the tremendous 
import of their recent venture. 

The moment had arrived. Richard 
Sauger stood upon a threshold that 
had long awaited his footsteps. All of 
that satisfaction which comes from a 
life well spent was gathered tumultu- 
ously in his breast as he stood there 
with his eyes closed. His dream had 
been built from an unreal image, but 
he had been convinced that his equa- 
tion of duo-quadrant lineations had 
been substantiated, even from the first 
embryonic assumption, in regards to 
the dimension commonly referred to 
as Time. Time, the invisible, the in- 
substantial, was solidified at last. 

Its inexorable stream could be 
turned aside for those who chose to 
direct it. There was but one disturb- 
ing factor in his conquest of an 
enigma that had heretofore baffled all 
mankind. That lay in the increased 
proportions of the small lead box. 

The inflation in size had been al- 
most infinitesimal, yet the microm- 
eters had registered the difference 
again and ag^n, until even he would 
not deny the expansion. After all, it 
was unimportant. Other things that 
mattered were at hand. He could not 
pause, even to eat or sleep, now that 
the new conception lay fresh within 
his mentality. 

Time, the indispensable fourth di- 
mension, lay within his very grasp, 
ready to become something to bend to 
his will. It gave him a sense of illimit- 
able power. The divine exaltation of 
an explorer who has brought new 
domain into the realm of knowledge 
held him for that long moment. 

W HEN he opened his eyes he 
saw the folded newspaper 
where it had dropped on an upended 
box. He could see the heavy imprint 
of the headlines, even though the 
greenish light flickered till it burned 
his eyes: 



WAR DECLARED IN SOUTHERN 
EUROPE I 

How futile that sounded! How it 
brought man down from his pedestal 
to think of millions squeezing out 
their pitiful lives on the continent 
across the seas while he stood before 
something so vast that all humanity 
was dwarfed into insignificance. War 
in Europe! Would men never become 
civilized? Would they never ascend 
to a mental status whereby they could 
benefit from the powers of science? 

War indeed! Richard Sauger 
stalked beyond the folded paper with 
no second glance, and began hurriedly 
to don the lead garments that lay on a 
bench. Almost without realizing it he 
pulled the heavy trousers up high on 
his waist and strapped them there, 
then shouldered the upper cloak of 
metal, with its square vision panels 
of quartz and the tiny atmosphere 
tanks that settled down comfortably 
on the broad muscles of his back. 

Lead mitts that hooked high over 
the sleeves oompleted the outfit. As 
the hiss of inner air came from the 
tanks he stood clothed in the grotes- 
que sheathing which would bar those 
harmful emanations from his body, 
even as the lead box had protected the 
white rats. 

He breathed quite heavily until the 
air flow was regulated. Then he in- 
haled deeply, for excitement was 
pumping blood through the veins at a 
rapid pace and his lungs labored with 
the exertion. His eyes, staring 
through the quartz, did not pain him 
now as he looked straight at flashing 
arcs that dipped and swayed around 
the high voltage rotors. 

Even the direct glare of the central 
coiling tubes could be withstood, as 
well as the infra-heat rays that were 
radiated back from the ceiling. He 
stalked forward, swallowing the dry 
feeling from his throat. 

Out of the field of contrasting light 
and darkness a bulky figure moved. It 
was one of the assistants, garbed 
similarly in a leaden helmet, who held 
a questioning mitt before his face. 
Richard nodded and gestured toward 
the central dais with its cylindrical 



60 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



tube of lambent wave-flow. The eyes 
behind the quartz vizor of the other 
helmet seemed frightened, but the 
assistant nodded his understanding. 

Two others, looking like thick black 
shadows, watched as Richard Sauger 
stalked toward the cylinder of light- 
flame that seethed in the central vor- 
tex. He paused once, just before he 
stepped through the outer wall of cold 
fire. His face was icy with sweat, but 
he wasn’t afraid. No, he wasn’t afraid. 
But, good Lord! who could keep from 
feeling shaky at a time like this? 

He bit his lips and strode the last 
two steps hurriedly, walking in a 
solid cylinder of light-flame that shot 
up from the brassy electrode upon 
which he stood — a light that disap- 
peared in a whirling tassel of flame 
toward the upper instruments. He 
raised his arm high to give the signal. 

There was no shocking sensation, 
though his body tingled and the 
sweat dried, leaving his flesh hot. The 
cylindrical haze of light deepened 
suddenly, became transparently violet, 
and then it too was gone, taking with 
it the outlines of the inner laboratory. 

Richard Sauger was traversing a 
short-cut across the stream of time 
that no other terrestrial being had 
ever negotiated in the known history 
Of mankind. A flickering gloom filled 
the ab3«s above his head as he swung 
through a void of space. Across his 
meridian flashed a solid ring of sub- 
stance that appeared on the horizon to 
the east and disappeared toward the 
west. Inside his helmet he chuckled, 
and the eerie sound vras quite sepul- 
chral. 

H e stood on a flat plain that un- 
dulated gentlvi That much was 
understandable. The surface of the 
earth, if it really was changing rapid- 
ly, had become a mere blur to his 
senses. The solid ring of substance 
across the sky was the sun, traveling at 
a prodigious rate that kept pace with 
his transit through Time. The retina 
of the eye caught its image as a solid 
r?ng, so swift was the earth’s rotation. 
As the seasons altered the ring shifted 
lower or higher across the horizon, 
that was all. 



But suddenly the ring dwindled, 
was gone, and a saffron body had 
swung up into the sky, hanging like a 
toy balloon. At first Sauger thought 
that he had come to a stop, but imme- 
diately he realized the true signifi- 
cance, for the undulating terrain of 
the earth had not ceased its ponderous 
swayin|;. 

“This is something!” he exclaimed. 
“Millions of years have gone by ! The 
tidal reactions have braked Eiarth to 
a stop, even as science predicted, and 
one face of the earth now turns al- 
ways tc./ard the sun.” 

He was assailed by a wild unreaeon- 
ing fear, for the sun was acting very 
strangely. It stood in the blackening 
void Kke a torch running out of fuel. 
Sputtering flames dripped from it Into 
the abyss, and suddenly it disinte- 
grated. An impenetrable darkness 
descended. 

How long his body traversed infinite 
distances he could not have known. 
His senses conveyed the futility of 
even pondering what he had seen. At 
times he seemed to be floating through 
a fluid blackness. His body swept 
along cosmic currents that spanned 
universal distances in a single, vertig- 
inous instant. His mind cringed be- 
fore alien sensations that were utterly 
without meaning. 

At length he came to rest. A soft 
light hung over the horizon of a newer 
world. Solidity emerged beneath his 
feet. A smooth metallic expanse lay 
beneath his leaden soles. He looked 
across the serrated terrain and won- 
dered how far through time he had 
traveled. 

Even as the thought swept his mind 
his surroundings changed nightmar- 
ishly— not with the infinite changes 
of Time’s rapid progression, but with 
an internal metamorphosis quite alien 
to the natural substance that had 
composed Earth. 

The metallic horizon was suddenly 
pierced by long needlelike spires, 
among which crystalline substances 
grew swiftly to mammoth proportions, 
jutting transparent angles in a con- 
fusing panorama. But as he stepped 
forward these images dropped like a 
mirage and were shattered. 



HE WHO MASTERS TIME 



61 



A grotesque forest surrounded him, 
6preed:ing zigzag branches across the 
bickering lummos?ty of the heavens. 

Even the essence of matter had 
changed. That which stood about him 
now was as much like lambent radia- 
tion as material substance. The glit- 
tering metalline substance had rippled 
up into an iridescent array of solvent 
matter that baffled his mentality. 
Shocking changes came that seemed 
hardly to register within his brain. 
Was this that far future of which 
mankind had dreamed? 

His breath was heating the interior 
of the helmet. It was a long time 
since he had left the laboratory. Madr 
ness clawed at his brain and shrieked 
into his consciousness. Odd sensations 
surged through his being. He thought 
of Earth, strangely enough, while the 
substance about him was again being 
rearranged into a titanic jqmble of 
crumbling blocks that hummed him in. 
Earth and Us futile little humanity! 
Earth and its men at war! 

He could almost see those men, 
leaping across black benches; shellBre 
mushrooming against the upper black- 
ness; shrapnel screaming; bayonets 
thrusting through flesh and dripping 
Bed ; men reeling from poisonous 
spumes of g^. How distant that was! 

O DDLY enough, Richard Saugcr 
was sobbings He strug^ed on- 
ward with a new determination amidst 
the bewildering shapes that arose and 
towered and flamed at every side, and 
now his eyes were seeking something 
not so alien. A vast solitude had trept 
upon him, here in the weird wastes of 
this ineffable world. Not always did 
he see those podlike incrustations, 
those knotted ranges that were sud- 
denly liquid in appearance; instead, 
he tramped across a black shifting 
field with others, where the muzzles 
qf cannon belched fire and smoke and 
lead, and machine-guns chattered 
rivers of death and hell opened arms 
like the talons of an animate monster. 
Rivers of red swept past his eyes; 
gory masses of crushed metal lay 
piled against the sky, countless cada- 
vers lay across the mud and Blth of 
^hat he trod. 



It was understandable to Richard 
Sauger that he could not comprehend 
all ^at he beheld, for he had bridged 
an abyss that was inconceivably dis- 
tant and removed from the mundane 
sphere, but somehow this fantasy of 
death and fury was the oddest aspect 
of all his sensations. How long he trod 
onward, seeking even remote vestiges 
of some object that would strike a 
harmonious note in his brain, he did 
not know, even though he throbbed to 
a dull obstinacy that drove his body 
on like an automaton. 

Thosq shifting panoramas were as 
arid and cold as the deserts of the 
moon. 

His soul anguished for the piti- 
able fight of mankind for existence in 
that far past, and despised when it 
came to realize that, after all, it had 
been and would be in vain. 

Back in the laboratory the assist- 
ants timed the transition for five 
minutes. When the minute hand came 
from the number II to 12 in a dock 
dial on the wall the lead-armored men 
manipulated counter levers, and the 
intense ultra-violet glow deepened 
once more. 

There, standing awkwardly in the 
center of the swelling cylinder, was 
the grotesque lead-sheathed figure of 
Richard Sauger, s^^emingly about to 
collapse. The figure outline became 
darker, and stumbled abruptly from 
the dais, to be caught in the eager 
arms of the assistants. 

With the instruments black and 
lusterless the laboratory took on a 
new coloration. Electric lights, swung 
from the high ceiling, gave a natural 
hue to the white countenances of the 
assistants, who had hurriedly dis- 
carded their heavy sheathings in the 
absence of noxious radiations. Richard 
Sauger lay with his naked face bared 
to the clearer light, and the man who 
bent over him was rubbing cool water 
over his forehead. 

For several moments he lay with un- 
seeing eyes. Finally he sat up, without 
speaking. 

‘‘Well, sir?” It was one of the as- 
sistants who spoke, his voice husky 
with anticipation. Richard knew what 
was in the mind of each of then^ but 



62 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



for the moment his mentality was so 
sluggish that he did not care to an- 
swer. Presently he aroused himself 
and went over to the wash basin. He 
hesitated again, dubbed his hand over 
the back of his neck, and loosened the 
collar. His foot brushed against the 
lead armor that lay like an empty 
shell on the floor. Then he sighed and 
looked defiantly about. 

“I’ll have a hard time explaining*’-^ 
he said, choosing each word and paus- 
ing at intervals. “In the first place, it’s 
doubtful if the human mind is capable 
of absorbing things quite out of its 
normal zone, and what I saw might 
not have appeared to another as it did 
to me. There’s no way to explain a 
new color to people who’ve never seen 
it; it’s Hke telling a deaf man how to 
hear by making signs with the hands. 
That’s the way I felt. I guess the 
transit was a success all right.” 

H e brushed the newspaper from 
the box and sat down rather 
heavily, 

“I thought at first that it might have 
been a sort of hallucination,” he said 
at last, after attempting rather vague- 
ly to reconstruct the memories of his 
confused consciousness. “It doesn’t 
make sense! It was like a nightmar); 
that you can’t quite grasp, but I kept 
looking for some sign of man on that 
future world, or of some evidence of 
man’s habitation. I felt that somehow, 
despite the lapse of time, some 
evolutionary adaptive of humanity 
would be in that future world. But 
we’ll have to alter our computations 
to suit a more standardized fact. 
There weren't any men in the world I 
glimpsed. It wasn^t composed of the 
kind of matter we’ve had anything to 
do with. I’m not even certain that it 
was matter. 

“But we’ve succeeded. That’s the 
main thing. Our fourth-angle devia- 
tion from the six conceivable elec- 
tronic dimensions did the trick all 
right. I went forward in Time. But 
we failed to take into consideration 
the expansion of matter as we know it. 
I refer to the expansion of the 



universe. You are entirely aware qf 
that phenomenon. My trouble was 
that when I went through Time the 
stature of my body remaii^ed practi- 
cally the same as contrasted to the en- 
largement of the Universe. As millions 
of years receded behind me, the 
Universe expanded. The internal dis- 
tances betw en the electrons of the 
atoms, as well as matter itself, was in- 
flating simultaneously. As long as 
my pfojected body clung to the broad- 
ening earth I had some semblance of 
similarity with which to gauge my 
conjectures. Later, the Universe must 
have increased beyond all propor- 
tions. 

“Eddington pictures an oscillation 
of universal proportions, in which the 
matter of the Universe is altering in- 
termittently between the state of 
highest compression in a small area 
and a condition of extreme tenuity in 
an expanded area. We can readily 
imagine that the electrical particles, 
which may consist of a soft of radia- 
tion, would inflate to enormous di- 
mensions as comparable to the present 
size of my body. On the other ^nd, it 
is possible that the world I stood upon 
was at the other end of the handle, so 
to speak. It might have been the 
Universe that had expanded and then 
deflated to the state of ultimate conr- 
pression. At such a period its mass 
would be sufficient to bend the light 
waves back to its own attractional 
surface, thus explaining the presence 
of illumination on this future planet^ 
Old body and the lack of luminaries. 

“I can even attribute that which I 
perceived to a sort of thought-reflec- 
tion, tenable in the absence of a con- 
veying medium in this super-matter 
astral body. Every object I witnessed, 
or thought I witnessed, can only be 
portrayed as comparable to some *tet- 
restrial’ object, even though there is 
much that I am unable to explain. 

“My inability at voicing these de- 
scriptions is quite coneeivable. What 
I landed on was quite probably an 
atomic planet of infinitesimal size, a 
mere particle of an electron on the 
present earth.** 



Next Issue: WANDERERS OF THE VOID, by Dr. Arch Carr 







Af^TEK. kVA 

AK/t> A OEVAATATfAJti 

f»LA&ue, rwe SAnrM 
LA/»SE0 0AQ*C into 

Conditions not 

ONLUCS THE /MIDDCE 

AQBS W-- — > 






[Turn Page] 





64 




ON HypNoim^Luy 



X STOA 
IT VI 

»OU»IERS 



SKIN ANO BONKS . PI.AOO WAS CA 
>V£(^COME. CARePULCV, X OPCNCO A 
AT THt EN& OP TWa. CQRIUOO 



THsy BoOWD MB to aw Qt>BKA‘nNS TAfe*.B' 



X ANi 9 ««txy To HAvs TO i>o 
THIS — POR X CAN 3 ES TOO 
ARC MOT I.IKB THX mSANE 
ONES WB USUALLy CJIPEBt* 
m«NT ON. you SEC, THE WFB 
dPAM ON AlERCuRy tS <^L.V 
XN YEARS. OTMEI^ AAcSS 
UVC LON&CR — wve MOST 
PINO THE SECR.BT OP LOMft 



KMIP* -OEaCEHto 



AS I btsiiAcT ^oI 

are EV.6CTRlCAl.iLy d*»- 
' ANESTMCnZi 

ASTHty Cut. You vnvv OT 
So*TB some Hours . 

POR I AM VERY ^KlviSl: 



AM VBRV ^KML^t^ 



MAl.Y/*i 
OR «VW, 
SHOOT/ 


1 






*^V»HORfi » 
iispu^f 





INVADERS FROM 




A Complete 
Novelette of 
Cosmic 
Exploration 



From the group of ten ptant-creatures two seized them 



CHAPTER I 
Flight from Saturn 

J AMES ROSS leaned against a 
crystal pylon and fingeced the 
conical holster of his subatomic 
blast pistol nervously. Invisible death 
stood by his side and the very air he 
breathed was fraught with menace. 

The Saturnian relaxation terminal 
was small, crowded, and permeated 



wkh the odctfs of cheap dilitis syrup 
and rank tobaccos. The space ship 
pilots who lounged there without in- 
signia on their begrimed and tattered 
uniforms were men of unsavory repu- 
tations. Two-thirds of them were 
blackguards, thieves and murderers. 
The rest had displayed white feathers 
in the black, frigid gulfs between the 
planets. 

Virtually everyone in the terminal 



A Brigand of Space Speeds Through the 






THE OUTER SUNS 




By FRANK 
BELKNAP 
LONG, Jr. 

Author of ’‘Cones,** *’Sky 
Rock,** etc. 



gently in their tendrils and lifted them from the ground 



knew Ross by reputation. The young 
American was a senior lieutenant in 
the trans-Saturnian division of the 
Interplanetary Police Patrol. Tall, 
lean, weather-bronzed, with clear grey 
eyes and sharply molded features, he 
had assumed an ingenious disguise 
which protected him from the wrath 
of his enemies. 

He was clad in a soiled and shabby 
space-pilot’s uniform of black rubber- 



ized cloth. His rust-colored solar boots 
were caked with the yellow clay of 
the Titan mine settlements, and the 
mesh-wire helmet which dangled by a 
thin strap from his shoulder was 
tarnished and misshapen. He had 
smeared his features with black en- 
gine grease and deliberately assumed 
an expression of drooling idiocy. 

The picture he presented was a 
familiar one. He looked in all respects 



Starways to Flee an EartHman’s Vengeance! 



67 



63 



THRlLLWa'WONDER STORIES 



Uk* * hard-bitten miner from the little 
Sa^rnian satellite Titan, hopelessly 
drunk on dilitis syrup. 

Ross knew most of the reveling 
spacemen. There were murderers in 
the terminal the law couldn’t touch 
because of imbecile immunity treaties 
or lack of legal evidence. There were 
men there who had endured imprison- 
ment in the Martian penal camps, but 
who were out on parole now and open- 
ly scornful of the Interplanetary 
Police. 

The nations of Earth were constant- 
ly at loggerheads as to the most ef- 
fective method lOf policing the planets, 
and the Patrol had the difficult task 
of enforcing a code of interplanetary 
law which was moth-eaten, and as 
variegated as a patch-work quilt. 
Through the big and little hq|es in it 
big and little scoundrels could wriggle 
with impunity. 

But Ross Was determined that a 
certain scoundrel should not wriggle 
through. So far luck had favored hiin. 
No one had recogniaed him, and 
sitting at a metal table a few feet from 
where he was standing was the black- 
guard in question. 

Justin Nichols* pale and shadow- 
haunted face was set in grim lines as 
he drained dilitis through a thin glass 
tube and watched the carousing space- 
men at adjoining tables. He was en- 
tirely alone. Most of the other out- 
laws bad their arms about the slim 
waists of dancing girls as they swayed 
drunkenly above the tables. 

Still fingering his blast pistol Ross 
crossed suddenly to Nichols’ table, 
pulled out a chair, and sat down. 
Justin Nichols started. His eyes, bor- 
ing into those of the Patrol officer’s, 
widened abruptly in recognition and 
alarm. With an oath he started to rise. 

“Sit down, Nichols,” Ross said. 
“Pretend you’re glad to see me.” 

He tapped his blast weapon holster 
significantly. 

“Pretend, Nichols. If you make one 
suspicious move I’ll sear you!” 

Nichols subsided in his chair and 
sat staring sullenly into the hard, 
level eyes of the Patrol lieutenant. A 
dull flush suflused his cheeks. 

“You can get up now, Nichols,” 



Ross smiled grimly. “Walk slowly 
toward the door and keep remember- 
ing what I told you.” 

Reluctantly Nichols obeyed. Ross* 
nervousness increased as they passed 
within inches of ruffians who were 
killers by instinct and choice. They 
were still in the midst of the tables 
near the center of the terminal when 
a slim, frail girl appeared in the door- 
way-. 

A mechanic’s lounge suit draped 
her slender fotm. Her skin was radi- 
antly fair; her features indescribably 
beautiful. Her flowing, copper-colored 
hair flamed in the glow of the cold 
light lamps as she slipped swiftly 
through the doorway and stood for an 
instant in the shadow of the pylons, 
staring at Ross and the other. 

R OSS was so intent on his captive 
that he did not perceive that her 
features were agitated with alarm, 
that she was breathing fast. His inat- 
tentivencss nearly cost him his life. 
The girl suddenly raised her arm and 
pointed at him. 

“That’s Ross, of the Interplane- 
tary!” she exclaimed vehemently. 
Then her voice rose hysterically. 
“He’s been spying on us I Stop him, 
someone ! Stop him—” 

Her warning had a galvanic effect 
on the diVitis-drunk habitues of the 
terminal. At a dozen tables sinister **** 
figures stiffened in swift fury. Ross 
caught a frightening glimpse of 
brutal, leering faces aflame with hate. 
Men to whom the spilling of blood 
was casually instinctive leaped to 
their feet with fierce oaths. 

Ross was taken so completely by 
surprise that for an instant he stood 
without movement. Then he whirled, 
whipped out his blast pistol, and sent 
a searing, hissing cylinder of ruby-red 
flame spurting toward the ceiling of 
the terminal. 

The cylinder pierced the cold-light 
lamps with a positron blast that 
rocked the little building from roof to 
floor. Trillions upon trillions of 
massed subatomic projectiles crashed 
against the insulated lamp mounts 
high overhead, and cascaded in 
spreading sheets of hissing, sputter- 



INVADERS FROM THE OUTER SUNS 



69 



ing energy down the terminal’s quak- 
ing walls. 

There ensued a deafening detonar 
tion as the fragments of the cold-light 
lamps fell in glowing showers be- 
tween the tables. The fragments spun 
about on the floor in a mad dervish 
dance for an instant. Hundreds of 
tiny pinpoints of light were lashed 
into quivering activity by the energy 
thrust of disorganized and escaping 
electrons. Then the firefly pageant 
dimmed, vanished. Utter darkness en- 
gulfed the terminal. 

The dancing girls screamed as the 
darkness descended. Feet scraped on 
the corrugated metal floor. There was 
a volley of oaths and the crash of 
tables overturning. Ross retreated a 
pace, his blast weapon gripped tightly 
in his right band. In the darkness it 
was hard to distinguish between 
sounds; still harder to move swiftly 
in a straight line. 

On all sides infuriated killers were 
seeking him out. He could hear the 
swift paddings of their feet all about 
him. The door was a faint, glimmer- 
ing square of violet light. Hands 
clutched at him as he suddenly re- 
versed his direction and started 
toward it. 

For several yards he encountered 
no impediment. Then he stumbled 
into a resistant bulk that swore vio- 
lently and lashed out at him. Luckily 
the fist of the ruffian missed his jaw 
by a narrow margin. Ross caught his 
assailant about the waist, lifted him 
into the air, and crashed him violent- 
ly backward against a pylon. Then he 
lunged forward again. 

He was within three yards of the 
doorway when he tripped over an 
overturned chair and went sprawling 
out on the floor. He rose swiftly, but 
before he could get his body moving 
again fists thudded against his ribs. 
Swiftly he whirled, leaped backward, 
and flailed the air with the massive, 
flaring muzzle of his blast pistol. 

He heard a sickening crunch as the 
slashing metal thudded against a 
human skull. In ghastly silence the 
dimly outlined form of his assailant 
swayed an instant, then crashed to the 
floor. Immediately another ruffian 



blocked his path. Ross raised his knee, 
and rammed it with violence into a 
quivering stomach. The opposing bulk 
melted away with a groan of pain and 
rage. The next instant Ross was 
through the portal and out in the 
clear, oxygenated air under a canopy 
of skyfiame. 

H igh above his- head the immense 
crystal dome of the Saturnian 
skyport shone frostily beneath 
heaven-spanning rings of bright, 
swarming meteors. Mile-long oxygen 
cylinders turned slowly on both sides 
of him as he sped along a pedestrian 
airlane toward the space ship terminal 
at the far extremity of the dome. 
From jets in the lateral sections of the 
huge, black cylinders the life-sustain- 
ing air spurted in continuous blasts 
and circulated freely throughout the 
length and breadth of the skyport. 

The Saturnian skyport was the 
largest in the Solar System. Under the 
meteor-girdled skies it shone with a 
luster as silvery and resplendent as 
the Earthmoon’s sheen, or the glowing 
face of heaven-climbing Titan. Its 
rounded tower was a tiny pinpoint of 
bright glory between a Charybdis of 
swirling detritus and a Scylla of 
towering granite. Colossally behind it 
loomed the stupendous crags and but- 
tressed ledges of jjesolate mountains. 
Dismally before it there stretched to 
flame-wrapped horizons a bleak, wind- 
lashed desert of pulverized lava. 

Neither the mountains, which sur- 
passed the mightiest -of Earthmoon’s 
peaks in magnitude, nor the bleak, for- 
bidding desertland were suitable 
abodes for the life of Earth. Deadly 
methane and ammonia gases surged on 
the tainted air and the far horizons 
were lurid with the light of perpetual- 
ly erupting volcanoes. 

Within the skyport the enormous, 
mile-long cylinders preserved a 
balanced atmospheric pressure under 
a dome of palely opalescent cyclisite 
crystal. Inside the great structure 
the bleak, grim and terrible Saturnian 
wastelands impinged visually on the 
senses, but their menace was illusion- 
ary so long as the skyport resisted the 
assaults of storm and soilquake. 



70 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



At one end of the shyport clustered 
the relaxation terminals, little glitter* 
4ng domes within the huge mother 
dome. At the other were the bright 
cobalt glass berths of huge space 
transports and tiny solo craft no 
Bigger than the stratosphere planes 
which darkened all the skies on dis- 
tant Earth. 

Ross was certain that Nichols had 
taken advantage of the darkness and 
confusion in the terminal to slip out 
ahead of him and make for the space 
ship berths. Nichols* little ship was 
moored next to the eighty ton trans- 
port Ganymede, on one of the public 
take-off slides used by solo craft. 

Across the bleak, interplanetary 
voids from far-off Jupiter Ross had 
pursued Nichols' cralt. On arriving at 
the great dome he had zoomed his own 
little vessel into a neighboring berth 
and swiftly departed on a round of the 
relaxation terminals in quest of his 
elusive quarry. 

As he raced over the sloping sky- 
way he cursed the slim, frail girl who 
had betras^ed him to the rogues in the 
terminal. He did not know who she 
was. He had never seen her before. 
But he cursed her as he sped until his 
breath was c<xning in wheezing gasps. 

All about him now immense hulks 
towered. He saw the silvery and re- 
splendent bulk of the thousand-meter 
titan of the spaceways Erubus, and the 
Martian armored cruiser Kiatan, with 
her oblong triple-ports reflecting the 
skygleam of a thousand little moons. 
He moved swiftly beneath frowning, 
dark expanses of metal, passed 
through blue shadows which flickered 
like the lashing reflections cast by 
^mets’ tails on the mist-shrouds of 
tne larger planets, and emerged at last 
on the wide, central platform at the 
base of the public runways. 

The platform glowed dimly in the 
opalescent light of immense meteor 
belts and swift-circling little moons. 
Ross stopped an instant to regain his 
breath; then ascended swiftly over 
footm.ounts cut in the metal to the 
tiered rsnways above which supported 
the little solo craft of adventurer 
pilots and independent miners from 
the Titan ore concessions. 



At last Ross reached the take-off 
slide where he had left Nichols’ vessel. 
Gasping for breath, he stood staring 
in bitter chagrin at an empty expanse 
of shining metal. The little craft was 
gone ! Breathing curses he turned and 
ascended swiftly to his own small 
craft which rested on the tier above. 

A young man of eighteen was stand- 
ing beside Ross’ gleaming vessel. He 
wore a mechanic’s lounge suit, short 
solar boots. An ultra-violet ray shield 
bid the upper part of his white face. 
His jaw was bruised and swollen; and 
blood was oozing itom a cut on his 
mouth. He staggered a little as Ross 
came toward him. 

“So you tried to stop him, eh? Good 
lad!” 

The youth nodded. 

“I fought him till he knocked me 
down,” he said. ‘‘The girl helped him. 
She’s a she-devil, sir.” 

Ross' eyes lit up. 

“A girl, eh? The same girl, I’ll 
wager. Get inside. Bob. We’re going 
after them.” 



CHAPTER II 
The Death Ray 



F ive Earthminutes later Ross’ 
Httle vessel vibrated from bow to 
stem ; then crawled steadily down the 
runway in a snail-like glide. Moving 
scarcely a foot a second it zoomed 
upward toward the summit of the 
dome. 

As it neared the airlocks it bisected 
a photoelectric beam which automatic- 
ally set the massive ejection mecha- 
nism in motion. The Httle ship was 
swiftly drawn into a compartment de- 
void of air, held suspended an instant 
in vacuum, and then shunted outward 
into the sub-zero, methane-tainted at- 
mosphere beyond the skyport. 

As the airlock closed behind the 
tiny craft the whirring rotoform pro- 
pellers which had lifted it from the 
runway ceased to function and the 
freshly-banked infra-atomic blast en- 
gines in its basal compartments ex- 
^oded with a roar. The initial ac- 
celeration had not exceeded a faw 



INVADERS FROM THE OUTER SUNS 



71 



thousand feet a minute. But now its 
speed was increased enormously. Up 
from the volcano-reddened crust of 
the ringed planet the little vehicle 
sh.ot with a velocity which steadily 
mounted till its outer plates grew red, 
then white hot. 

Within the heat-resisting inner 
shell of the incredibly speeding v^sel 
Ross sat staring out through an ob- 
servation window of inches-thick 
quartz at a titanic blue arc shot with 
gold. This bright inner ring of Saturn, 
composed of millions of tiny asteroids, 
was half a million miles in circum- 
ference. In the firmament beyond it 
six of Saturn’s ten moons hung pen- 
dulously suspended, two green, three 
yellow and one a blood-red ruby 
against the diffuse' glory of the far- 
fiung constellations. 

In five minutes the vessel had at- 
tained an altitude of one hundred 
miles. Ross was sitting before a con- 
trol board grimly manipulating dials 
and. levers when young Robert Brooke 
entered the pilot chamber. He crossed 
swiftly to Ross’ side. 

‘T’ve located them in the telescopic 
receptor!” he exclaimed, excitedly. 
“They’re heading for Hyperion!” 

Ross swung about in his metal 
pilot’s chair, his face suddenly tense 
and incredulous. 

“Good God!” he muttered. “Are 
they mad? I’d rather land blind in 
some foul, black hog on Rhea or 
Japetus. Even if they slip away from 
us in the dense surface fogs they’ll 
find hell awaiting them when they 
step out through the gravity ports.” 

Brooke nodded grimly. He had read 
about Hyperion in the navigator’s 
almanac. It was the backwater moon 
of the system. It had sufficient density 
to retain oxygen, but the air ^Vas sc 
tainted with deadly carbon monoxide 
gas you couldn’t breathe it without a 
Dulo filter. Under the fog blanket 
there was a scummy surface film of 
nasty, malignant life. Corrosive 
spores, flame-tongued leech weeds. 
The last exploring party had landed 
there blind in 2078. Six months later a 
Martian rescue crew had picked up 
three survivors. 

Three haggard, gibbering skeletons, 



with shriveled flesh gangrening from 
uncauterized leech-weed abrasions. 
The little moon was a kind of vegeta- 
ble inferno, a veritable hell-garden 
where alien forms of life flourished 
noxiously in an atmosphere impreg- 
nated with death. 

“If we follow them to the moon’s 
surface we may crash in the fog,” said 
the youth, apprehensively. “I thought 
— I thought we could try to reach 
them with the Sillo-beam. I synchro- 
nized the S-tub&range with the visual 
field in the receptor screen. 

Ross glanced at him sharply. 

"Took a lot on your shoulders, 
didn’t you?” he exclaimed. “Are you 
afraid to land on Hyperion?” 

Brooke bit his lips, reddened. 

“1 t h i n k I understand,” Ross 
laughed. “A girl, eh?” 

The youth nodded. 

“We are to be married next month. 
In Auriga City, Venus. I have no in- 
surance papers, and if anything 
should happen to me — ” His lips set 
grimly. 

Ross descended from the pilot’s seat 
and gripped his arm. ^ 

“All right. Bob. I understand. Jus^^ 
take my place now. Watch the pres- 
sure gages. If the gravity stabilizer 
slips a millimeter, regrade it.” 

T he youth nodded and climbed 
into the pilot’s seat, while Ross 
slipped swiftly from the little cham- 
ber. He moved down a narrow cor- 
ridor and, descending a spiral stair- 
way in the depths of the vessel, 
emerged into the compartment which 
contained the telescopic receptor 
screen and the switchboard which 
controlled the long-range Sillo-beams. 

On the green-lit visual screen bright 
images flickered. The screen was ver- 
tically suspended between terminus 
joints in the summit of a massive 
electrothermal pillar which rose ob- 
liquely from the floor of the compart- 
ment. The flickering images were con- 
veyed by heat-wave transformation 
from a powerful reflecting telescope 
in the vessel’s prow. 

The images were very bright and 
clear because there was little loss of 
light in the nearly gasless strato- 



72 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



sphere five hundred miles above the 
planet's surface. Ross crossed to the 
image screen and studied it intently* 
Brooke had located the fleeting space 
ship with competence and accuracy. 
Near the center of the screen the mist- 
enveloped disc of Hyperion shone 
with reflected meteor light. A little 
distance from the rim of the dully- 
illumined moon was a tiny, black 
midge-ehape gyrating in the tenuous 
pressure-drifts of an airless ether. 

Ross studied the tiny, cigar-shaped 
vessel for an instant with set Ups. 
Then he stepped to the illuminated 
switchboard which coQtrolIed the 
Sillo-beams. If luck favored him, he 
could atop that fleeing vehicle dead in 
space. The Sillo-tube could throw a 
paralyzing ray of magnetically ener- 
gized light twenty thousand miles 
across empty ether. The light would 
envelop the little craft in a blinding 
shell of force and hold it immovably 
suspended above the mistenshrouded 
satellite. 

Ross grasped a small, black dial, 
twirled it about between his fingers. 
Five Sillovolts of energy flowed into 
the Sillo-tube; then ten, then fifteen. 
The vessel vibrated as the great, 
space-piercing beam streamed out- 
ward from its hull toward the tiny fly- 
speck of matter thousands of miles 
away. 

Swiftly Ross returned to the recep- 
tor screen; stared anxiously. Relief 
flooded his being when he perceived 
that the beam had found its mark. 
With deadly accuracy it had streamed 
across space and enveloped the fleeing 
vessel. He had scored a hit I 

Nichols’ ship was now utterly 
motionless in space. Ross wiped mois- 
ture from his forehead; laughed 
loudly in relief and exultation. 

“Good lad,” he muttered, addressing 
the wall in lieu of young Brooke, but 
thinking of Brooke. “Y.ou figured the 
range to a T! We’ve got Nichols! 
We’ve got the little vixen who’s with 
him! We’ve got them both. We’ve — ” 

Suddenly he gasped. Out from the 
little vessel near Hyperion there shot 
a swift beam of blinding purple light. 
A Sillo-beam, in blasting concentra- 
tion! The hue was unmistakable. 



Ross* eyes dilated in terror. With a 
cry he recoiled from the screen, as 
though even the image of such a beam 
could maim and kill. As he did so the 
little craft rolled sickeningly. There 
was a clang of tortured metal. All the 
lights on the Sillo-beam chamber 
flickered, dimmed. 

Ross was thrown violently forward 
against the switchboard. For an in- 
stant he clung to the edge of the mas- 
sive panel, swaying grogply. Then 
he straightened, stood erect. Shook 
his head to clear it of dizziness. 

A terrible fear was taking shape in 
his mind. The deadly beam had 
pierced the vessel, and passed onward 
through space. Clanging plates and 
dimming lights were the inevitable 
sequels of a direct hit. Fortunately the 
concentrated beam pierced space as a 
thin, lethal filament. It seared all flesh 
in its path, but its range was limited. 
It seared all flesh \yithin a radius of 
a few feet. 

With shaking fingers Ross lifted 
the audiphone on the switchboard be- 
fore him, pressed it to his ear. For an 
instant he stood grimly listening. 
Then all the blood seeped out of his 
face, leaving it ashen. He swa^d. In 
the pilot chamber above Robert 
Brooke was audibly moaning. 

When Ross reached the lad's side 
after a frantic, tortured ascent from 
the bowels of the little vessel be 
found him slumped at the base of the 
pilot’s chair. The beam had pierced 
his chest; seared him horribly. Burned 
fragments .of rubberized leather mer- 
cifully concealed the lesser wounds in 
the blackened flesh of his arms and 
thighs. His lips were flecked with 
crimson froth as he tried to smile into 
the compassion-filmed, tormented eyes 
of the man kneeling beside him. 

“She won’t get — the insurance — 
now,” he muttered, with a wrenching 
effort. “But I guess — it’s — all part — 
of the game. I hope you get ’em, chief. 
The concentrated beam is — prohibited 
—Interplanetary law.” 

Ross nodded. He was close to tears, 
and could only murmur, indistinctly. 

“We’ll look after her, lad. The 
patrol will look after her.” 

Brooke raised his face, succeeded, 



INVADERS FROM THE OUTER SUNS 



73 



despite his pain, in really smiling. 
Then the light faded from his eyes. 
His breathing became irregular, tor- 
tured. His chest rose and fell spas- 
modically for an instant. Then he 
uttered a little cry, went all limp. 
The smile returned to his lips a mo- 
ment before his breathing stopped. 



CHAPTER III 
Circle of Slaughtered Men 



I T was a grimmer Ross who re- 
turned to the observation window 
fifty Earthminutes later to watch the 
beam-suspended little vessel floating 
in the ether before Hyperion increase 
rapidly in size. With deep sorrow and 
reverence he had sent the flag-wrapped 
body of Robert Brooke out through a 
gravity port to a star burial in the 
night of space. He sat sad and watch- 
ful, feeling very lonely now, and, de- 
spite his youth, very old. 

Of one thing he was grimly certain. 
He would overtake and capture 
Nichols' vessel. Solo space craft were 
too light to carry more than thirty 
Sillovolts of beam energy in their S- 
tubes. Nichols had shot his bolt, 
lethally, malignantly. Now Nichols 
would pay with his life. As for the 
girl — Ross’ lips tightened. He would 
show her no mercy. 

The tiny craft throbbed evenly 
through space, drawing nearer and 
ever nearer to the dimly glowing 
misty face of little Hyperion. The 
beam-suspended vessel was now clear- 
ly visible to the naked eye in the 
quartz observation window and Ross 
needed no telescope to discern its 
mist-enveloped outlines. 

He was rebanking the blast engines 
with fuel sheets of re-energized elec- 
trons when a curving crescent of light 
shot from the mist on the little moon. 
Instantly Ross leaned forward above 
the controls, stared in breathless 
wonderment through the quartz win- 
dow. 

In the wake of the light something 
was rising from Hyperion’s surface, a 
dark, wedge-shaped mass that moved 
obliquely through the ether with 



curious little jerks and regressions. 
Something about its contours and 
mode of progression was vaguely 
spiderlike as it scuttled up through 
the white opacity. Ross was so startled 
he forgot to breathe. 

From the summit of the weird, ir- 
regularly moving wedge a thin ray of 
light crossed the Sillo-beam, in seem- 
ing immunity to its refractive repul- 
sion. Then, suddenly, a startling phe- 
nomenon occurred. The Sillo-beam 
cocoon dissolved under the impinge- 
ment of that other beam. It dissolved 
completely. The streaming radiance 
flowed off from the tiny craft’s bow 
and stern and was dissipated in the 
ether. 

Instantly the dark wedge grew very 
bright on its lateral side. Out from it 
there projected a secondary wedge of 
glimmering light which descended 
slowly toward the newly liberated 
vesseL 

Suddenly Ross perceived that the 
wedge was transparent and unstable. 
The wavering, mist-enveloped face of 
the little moon was obscurely visible 
through it. As it approached Nichols' 
space ship its contours altered. It 
wavered n^ulously; then buckled 
into billowinl; folds. 

Ross’ flesh went cold as his mind 
searched gropingly for an explanation 
of that strange encounter in space. 
Was the wedge mass deliberately 
trawling in the ether for the little ves- 
sel and its crew? Was the luminous, 
weaving projection a sort of net which 
the dark wedge was employing in its 
search for prey? Even as Ross stared 
Nichols’ little craft was caught up, 
enveloped by the luminous folds. 

Chilis raced along Ross’ spine. He 
stared in horror as the net enveloped 
the vessel completely. The next in- 
stant the dark wedge moved jerkily 
backward toward the luminous mists 
of Hyperion. Like a great, scuttling 
spider retreating into the white 
opacity of its lair, with its prey in a 
bright, dewy web of its own con- 
triving. 

Ross had braked his little vessel 
while the grim drama was unfolding. 
Now, as the dark, sinister wedge 
vanished in the mists above Hyperion, 



74 



THRILUNO WOlJDER STORIES 



he released additional fuel sheets into 
the basal blast engines. 

Sitting tight'Iipped at the contr^ol 
panel, he guided the. little vessel down 
and down. Through whirling layers 
of atmospheric gases, through thin 
convexial stratovacuums which 
■frosted the observation window de~ 
-spite the heat of the outer plates. At 
fifteen miles altitude he started brak- 
ing his course. He shut off all but one 
of the atomic blast engines and swung 
the gravity-stabilizer toward zero. At 
five miles his acceleration had been 
cut to a blast propulsion minimum of 
three miles a minute. 

A t two miles he shut off the blast 
engines; twirled the rotor dials. 
The little vessel circled slowly down- 
ward toward a world unplumbed. A 
world of blood-hungry leech-weeds, 
poisonous fungus growths^ and a dark 
sky marauder that scuttled, spiderlike, 
out of white mists to tr:^wl for men ! 

He landed safely in a rocky valley 
between two little hills that loomed 
bleakly forbidding in the green-lit 
gloom. The vessel settled comfortably 
on a black granite ledge abutting on 
a nearly level terrain. 

When Ross came out through the 
open gravity port with a Dulo oxygen 
filter strapped to the lower part of his 
face he moved with grim purpose and 
yet, paradoxically, like a man en- 
tranced. He was in thrall to emotions 
that would have seemed incompre- 
hensible to the adventurers and ex- 
plorers who had trod Hyperion’s soil 
before him. Though a sense of alien- 
age and a premonition of horror op- 
pressed hi^ mind, his dominant 
thought was one of vengeance. 

He bad been cheated <of his venge- 
ance by the scuttling horror from the 
white mists. No foot as firm as his 
had ever trod this little world before 
him. No Earthman had ever moved as 
resolutely into the unknown or dis- 
played more indifference as to what 
might befall him. 

The little backwater moon had no 
glory skies. A thin green light poured 
downward from elouds that hid even 
the immense rings of its primary. Be- 
neath Ross’ feet the soil yms as smooth 



and polished as a surface ai glass. 
There were no tumbled stones here; 
no crevices or pitfalls to ensnare bis 
feet as he progressed. All about him 
a tomblike silence reigned. Nowhere 
was there a suggestion of movement 
or echo of sound. The soil was curi- 
ously metallic in textute. A surface 
layer of glowing blue-green composed 
of tiny particles like sand overspread 
a more solid stratum which resisted 
the impress of his solar boots. Wisps 
of green fog came down into the val- 
ley, obscuring horizons and conceal- 
ing the landscape directly before him. 

He walked swiftly forward through 
the mist, driven by a compulsion 
which was more intuitive than logical. 
Yet he was sure that Nichols’ vessel 
bad been drawn by the raider from the 
mist into this or an adjacent valley. 
He had followed the captured vessel 
closely ; had entered the mist directly 
behind it, paralleling its plane of 
descent. It seemed unlikely that it 
could be far away. 

He had covered perhaps seventy-five 
feet when the green mist which had 
obscured his view slowly parted, to 
reveal a scene which stopped him in 
bis tracks and drove the blood in tor- 
rents to his heart. 

Twenty feet from where he was 
standing, on the smooth, metallic soil, 
was a little group of Earthmen. Fif- 
teen or twenty Earthmen kneeling in 
a wide circle, with Simel automatic 
heat-guns in their hands and with the 
green cloud shining upon them. They 
were utterly motionless. 

Their eyes stared vacantly into 
space; thecr features bore expressions 
of frozen horror. Great splotches of 
crimson stained their torn and dusty 
garments. In gaps in the wide circle 
the heads and shoulders of prone men 
protruded. Heads without skull caps; 
shoulders hunched and misshapen, and 
striated with clotted blood. 

As Ross stared horror such as he 
had never known surged up in him. 
Horror and sick revulsion. But despite 
the tremors which shook him he 
forced himself to move again. Un- 
steadily he advanced to the edge of 
the circle of corpses, and examined 
the scene of carnage at close range. 



INVADERS FROM THE OUTER SUNS 



75 



The bodies of the kneeHng men 
were gruesomely rigid. Above their 
horror^istorted faces their heads 
were gruesomeljr flat. The skull caps 
had been removed completely and 
with precision, as though a saw .or sur- 
geon’s scalpel had aided in the grim 
disfigtirement. Within the brain 
cavities were neither cerebra nor 
cerebella. Merely dark striatins, grisly 
splotches along the base of the perios- 
teum and in the region of the orbital 
cavities. The brains had been lifted 
outl 

OT all of the bodies bore wounds. 
Something more deadly than 
lethal beams or blast bolts had 
stricken them as they fought grimly 
to defend themselves against some 
ghastly enemy. 

Suddenly Ross perceived a little 
metal object lying on the ground near 
the rim of the circle. He stooped and 
picked it up. It was a metal sheet 
diary, containing about twenty leaves 
and scrawled in ten-point characters, 
with a few blockings out here and 
there. As Ross thumbed the leaves he 
was filled with a sense of impending 
disaster, as though be had strayed 
into a region of ghastly unreality 
where all the shadows were images of 
Death. 

On one sheet the unknown diarist 
had written: 

I am quite sure that I am the only 
Earthman who will ever read this record. 
But if I do not occupy my mind in some 
way I shall go mad. In a few hours I shall 
be dead. I shall die resistit^. with the 
curious stubbornness of my kind. When I 
am dead they will remove my brain, pre- 
serve it in one of their queer little ^rs. 
and perhaps dissect it in some undreamed 
of laboratory beyond the Solar System. 

they will never know, never really 
understand how it feels to be m man. 

Ross thumbed frantically backward 
through the record, scanned another 
sheet. Sentences here and there stood 
out on the gleaming ten-point script 
with an ominous clarity. 

My contract with the Jupiter Company 
having expired in 2089 I engaged passage 
on the trans-Saturnian transport Xris. My 
wife and I had planned a vacation of six 
Earthmonths in the South Martian Lit- 



toral, I intended to debark at Brldanus 
City; after a stop-over of six Earthmonths 
at Mare New Cetus. 

The alien ship attacked us while we were 
0.16 off Saturn's orbit. Diacoustic field 
blocked out. The luminous web of energy 
which enveloped our vessel and carried us 
to Hyperion shows the same frequency in 
the eiectrokinetic thermolysis units as 
the paralyzing beam which tney employ as 
an aid to hypnosis. Their death-beams do 
not register on our units. . . . 

They are creatures of intellect with 
bodies unutterably loathsome. They are 
from far beyond the Solar System. They 
can vaguely understand some of our 
thoughts, but our emotions are utterly alien 
to them. They have no desire to remain 
alive at alU 

As long as life remains in their hideous 
frames they seem to experience a kind of 
negative pleasure in merely living and 
thinking. But when we attacked them with 
our hands, maiming and crippling them, 
they calmly continued the process of de- 
struction, literally stripping their limbs of 
all substance. They are incapable of 
malice. They hate us no mere than humane 
men on Earth hate the ants and bees which 
they thoughtlessly trample under foot. . . . 

It is the hypnosis we fear most. We have 
resolved to die rather than continue to 
submit to it. By some extraordinary de- 
velopment of the power of telepathy they 
can read our minds and actually transfer 
their own thought-images, their own alien 
ways of willing and thinking to ua. When 
they stare steadily at us for several minutes 
our brains are narcoticize^ and enfeebled. 
We fall into an hypnotic trance and think 
the tendril giant's thoughts, dream tbeir 
awful, impersonal dreams. Dreams in which 
self-preservation plays no part. 

Most of my companions have altered ai^ 
palHngly. They have renounced their 
human heritage, and are no longer capable 
of revolt. Hopelessly wretched, and lost, 
I and a few others have struggled to re- 
main human and have succeeded in resist- 
ing hypnosis. We intend to fiee tonight. 
They no longer guard us closely. I^ey 
foolishly believe that we have lost all de- 
sire to escape. We shall flee to Blue Ore 
Valley, where there are no poison spores 
or deadly leech-weeds. We will camp there, 
strengthen our defenses. They are takii^ 
our lost companions away tonight in their 
stellar space vessels. But we the dead will 
lose only our brains. . . . 

Ross read no further. Sweat beaded 
his forehead as his gaze returned to 
the circle .of massacred men, lingered 
on each in turn. But there was nothing 
to identify the diary writer. He had 
found sanguinary oblivion along with 
his companions. The gruesome fate 
which he had foreseen had not spared 
a single member of that heroic band. 




76 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



CHAPTER IV 
The Tendril Giants 



A SCREAM tore suddenly out of 
the mist,, echoed appallingly 
from the black crags on both sides of 
the valley and reverberated afar. It 
was a human scream, vibrant with 
terror, shrill with pain. 

Ross turned and faced down the 
valley, straining his ears to catch 
whatever sound might come. Present- 
ly footsteps echoed through the thin 
green mist a few yards ahead of him, 
footsteps that faltered to the pitiable 
accompaniment of groans and low, 
gurgling sobs, and then advanced 
again. 

At length the mist divided to reveal 
a tall, staggering form, nearly naked, 
who could not stand upright because 
of the wounds he bore; who could 
only groan and twist his head in tor- 
ment as he approached Ross on legs 
that threatened to collapse beneath 
him. 

Justin Nichols was an object of 
horror. Corrosive spores had eaten 
away all but the shoulder straps of 
his space suit, and from his exposed 
flesh there hung the long, ribbcmKke 
tails of writhing leech-weeds. The 
heads pf the weeds were buried deep 
in his flesh. 

Ross drew a breath of shuddering 
horror. A great wave of pity and 
compassion flooded his being. He had 
vowed eternal vengeance against this 
killer of his friend. But it was im- 
possible to feel anything but pity for 
a wretch so tormented, so cruelly 
trapped. 

Nichols was clutching now at Ross* 
sleeve. His voice was hoarse with 
terror. 

“Thank God you followed us,’* he 
almost sobbed. “Did you see their 
ship? It came up out of the mist, 
threw a sort of light — Ross, it’s hor- 
rible. They’re from beyond our 
universe. Vegetablelike things — ’’ 
Nichols swayed suddenly. Ross 
caught him about the shoulders, 
steadied him. 

“Easy,” he cautioned. “Easy, Nich- 



ols. We’ve got to get these leech- 
weeds off.” 

“Never mind me, Rosa,” Nichols 
groaned. “You can save Marta. You 
can take her off in your ship. They’re 
totally deaf. That’s how I got away. 
I couldn’t wake Marta. They put her 
to sleep. Put me to sleep too, but I 
woke up.” 

His grasp tightened on Ross’ sleeve. 

“I stumbled into a nest of leeoh- 
weeds. God! It was horrible. They 
attacked me, tore me.” 

His breath was coming laboriously 
now. 

“I’m dying, Ross. Must flnish. Must 
tell you. Marta is my sister. She 
thought me — innocent. I lied to her. 
When I stole — from Mercury Com- 
pany — I was desperate. Horribly in 
debt. I thought I could return — 
platinum — before loss was noticed. 
When I found I couldn’t 1 had to flee, 
Ross. She followed because she was 
loyal. In the terminal — just impulsive* 
It was your life or mine and I — was 
her brother. She didn’t know I — rayed 
you in space. She’s blameless, Ross.’’ 

Suddenly Nichols’ tcnnnented eyes 
bulged glassily. He cried out in terror, 
jerked his body erect and, twisting 
free from Ross’ supporting arm, 
plunged with terrified whimperTags 
into the obscuring mist. 

- Ross was so startled he stood rooted 
to the soil. A tall, wavering shape had 
emerged from the mist a few yards 
away and was moving swiftly along 
the valley toward him. The creature 
was eight feet in height and covered 
with a kind of yellowish fuzz. It 
looked like an immense, shriveled 
root. Only its head, which was vaguely 
anthropomorphic in contour, and its 
little tufbular legs hinted at animal 
kinship. Its heart-shaped face was a 
flat, wrinkled expanse, expressionless 
save for the bright glitter of two little 
slitted eyes, and a writhing, puckered 
orifice immediately beneath them 
which appeared to serve as its mouth. 

F rom its twisted, cankerous body 
there sprouted numerous frail, 
plantlike tendrils, some green, some 
red, and a few the pallid, sickly hue 
of Saturnian corpse fungi. A few 



INVADERS FROM THE OUTER SUNS 



77 



sturdier tendrils, more like tentaQles, 
were wrapped tightly about the upper 
part of its torso. Both the tendrils 
and the curiously twisted and un- 
symmetrical body suggested a vegeta- 
ble rather than animal origim 

Held tightly in the curling ex- 
tremity of one very brilliant tendril 
was a little metallic cone about eight 
inches in length. As the repulsive 
creature advanced on its stumpy legs 
it slowly raised the extremity of the 
tendril and leveled it in Ross’ direc- 
tion. 

Instantly a beam of light flashed 
from the cone and enveloped the ter- 
rified Earthman. The light flashed out 
so abruptly that Ross’ faculties re- 
sponded with a violent shuddering. 
All through his body the strange, in- 
tense convulsion passed; his muscles, 
nerves, the very pulse of his blood was 
affected by it. 

Then something seemed to grip him 
about the shoulders and draw him 
agonizingly backward. The paralyzing 
beam jerked his arms sideward and 
pinioned them at the elbows; then 
took possession of his legs and stiff- 
ened them till he stood rooted to the 
ground. 

He was now inoapable of movement. 
Only his brain remained feverishly 
active, oppressed by qualms which 
twisted his features into a quivering 
mask of horror. Moving constantly 
closer the abhorrent shape seemed to 
increase its speed with every foot 
traversed. When it was appallingly 
close the little slitted eyes opened 
suddenly, horribly, in the pear-shaped, 
wrinkled face and widened to a hid- 
eous bigness. 

For seconds that seemed to expand 
into hours and then eternities the 
bright, saucerlike orbs stared relent- 
lessly into the fright-dilated eyes of 
the Earthman. 

Ross felt his faculties wavering. 
Light receded from all the objects 
about him. Their raist-enveloped con- 
tours shimmered nebulously ; then 
vanished into darkness. The tendril 
giant’s eyes became tapers of bright 
flame burning through a curtain of 
impenetrable gloom. For a time Ross 
fought frantically against the stupor 



which was engulfing him. Momentari- 
ly he succeeded in beating his way 
teck to the gates of consciousness. 
Bursts of light stabbed through the 
gloom; flashes of clarity showed him 
familiar objects for an instant. But 
it was a losing struggle. 

The hypnotic orbs were glowing 
more brightly now than the blinding 
giant suns of outer space. They 
usurped his world, his universe. Re- 
lentlessly as he struggled oblivion 
clutched at him with iron fingers and 
dragged him down into the abyss. 



CHAPTER V 
Captives in Space 

W HEN Ross opened hts eyes 
again he was lying on a smooth, 
cold expanse of gleaming metallic 
soil. Obscurely amidst the vapors 
which clogged his sleep-drugged brain 
a glimmer of light appeared. Slowly it 
widened and spread. He became aware 
of dim shapes that moved slowly 
across his befogged and distorted 
vision. 

Slowly his faculties expanded. He 
moved his limbs; ^ised his head and 
touched the oxygen filter on his face. 
For an instant he stared upward into 
the swirling green mist, bewildered. 
Then memories came rushing back. 
With a groan he twisted about and 
rose to hts knees. 

Instantly a sense of wonder and 
utter alienage pervaded hts being. A 
few feet away, partly obscured by the 
luminous mist, eight tendril giants 
were standing on their little tubular 
legs, silently watching him. As his 
gaze penetrated the mist his eyes 
widened in sudden, joyful recogni- 
tion. Within his mind human memor- 
ies and impulses were now inter- 
twined with images vast in scope, and 
of non-human origin. For the first 
time he had perceived the compulsion 
under which the tendril giants labored 
and did not recoil from them in revul- 
sion. 

The tendril giants were endowed 
with a wisdom far transcending any- 
thing of which the human race could 



78 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



boast. An insatiable, all-consuming 
curiosity was their dominant appetite. 
This appetite was more pronounced 
and aggressive than the simple emo- 
tional desires of the Earthmen and 
included a fierce, uncontrollable urge 
to explore every crevice of the known 
universe, to fathom every variation of 
animal and vegetable behavior on 
every planetary system. It was this 
urge which had sent them Saturnward 
across wide gulfs of space, bent on ex- 
ploration and discovery. 

Resting on the gleaming soil by 
Ross’ side was the reclining form of 
a slim young Earthwoman. Sweat 
beaded her wlHte forehead, and her 
copper-colored hair was damp with 
clinging moisture. She had risen on 
her elbow and was watching him with 
a slight, perplexed frown. Suddenly 
she plucked at bis sleeve. 

“You are James Ross,” she said. 

Slowly Ross ga2ed down at her, 
nodded. His face showed no surprise. 

“And you are Marta Nichols,” he 
said simply. “You are to be m^ com- 
anion in the great journey which lies 
efore us.” 

Ross’ face grew suddenly stern and 
impassive. 

“We have lived lives of folly, 
Marta,” he murmured. “We have 
squandered our vain human energies 
blindly, stupidly. How these great 
beings must despise us! How loath- 
some we must seem in their sight I 
Their cold, impersonal intelligences 
transcend our little lives as v/e trans- 
cend the lives of worms and insects.” 

Slowly he rose and extended his 
hand. 

“Come, Marta." he said, 

The Earthwoman's face was an 
enigmatic mask. Her pale features 
were resigned, composed even, but 
there was a look in her eyes which 
was vaguely disturbing. No muscle of 
her face twitched as she slipped her 
palm between Ross’ fingers and fol- 
lowed him over the shining soil to 
where the tendril giants rested. But 
her eyes were not the eyes of one who 
has gazed on cosmic glories and ex- 
perienced a mental rebirth. Her eyes 
were womanly, human, with glints of 
rebelhon still in their lustrous depths. 



Before the tendril giants Ross and 
the girl paused, in tremulous awe. 
Their loathsome appearance did not 
alter the expression of almost rap- 
turous acceptance on Ross’s face. 
From the group of ten plant-creatures 
two arose and drew near to Ross and 
his companion. With soft murmurs 
that seemed to hold accents of ap- 
proval and admiration they seized 
them gently in their tendrils and 
lifted them from the ground. 

The journey which ensued led 
northward alo^g the valley over a 
level, moist terrain covered by corpse- 
white fungus growths and a convo- 
luted, sanguine-hued plant which 
grew close to the soil and bore a 
nauseating resemblance to the lobes 
of a human brain. 

The valley widened as they ad- 
vanced, the soil becoming soggier, and 
the vegetation more brightly-hued and 
luxuriant. The tendril giants varied 
theijr gait to accommodate themselves 
to impediments under foot, but no 
obstacles presented by the changing 
landscape seemed too difficult to sur- 
mount, and Ross and his companion 
remained safely suspended above the 
swaying shoulders of their carriers. 

D espite the changing topog- 
raphy the journey, in its initial/ 
stages, was monotonous, but after an 
interminable series of detours they 
ascended a nearly vertical escarpment 
of bleak, forbidding rock and emerged 
on a fiat, mile-wide plateau above a 
narrow ravine! 

An exclamation of joy and wonder 
burst from Ross* throat at the spec- 
tacle which confronted him. The en- 
tire plateau was studded with huge, 
wedge-shaped spacecraft which rested 
on elevated landing discs, slowly re- 
volving in the mist-light. Between the 
enormous dark vessels hundreds of 
tendril giants were moving over the 
reddish, pitted soil, testing great 
projecting valves with upraised ten- 
drils. Others were vaporizing the solid 
masses of potential energy in the 
gleaming propulsion tubes which 
enormous lifting cranes were deposit- 
ing in the basal compartments of the 
skyward-pointing vehicles. 



INVADERS FROM THE OUTER SUNS 



79 



A little group of six plant-creaturea 
was bearing to a grim ravine>burial 
at the edge of the plateau a few shape- 
less things which had ^en horribly 
mangled in the abysses between the 
stars. 

“Look, Marta/* Rosa murmured. 
“Here are nearly all the space- 
voyagers, the cold, audacious ones 
who explore the interstellar gulfs. No 
Earthman has ever before beheld one 
of the great projectile bases. Two- 
thirds of all the spaceships of the star 
people come to rest here.” 

Into Marta’s blue eyes crept a dim 
flicker, which suddenly became a 
steady glow, burning into the eyes of 
her companion. Then it vanished. 
With a little sigh she stared upward 
into the mist, as though a grim 
presentiment weighed upon her, 

Progre^ion on the level plateau, 
despite its pitted surface, presented 
fewer difficulties to the tendril giants 
than the plant-infested lowlands 
beyond and they-progressed with un- 
believable rapidity on their tubular 
legs to the base of one of the landing 
discs. 

Still more quickly the two were 
lifted to the disc; assisted into the 
great vessel by the down-reaching 
tendrils of a plant-creature pilot. 
With soft murmurs the two carriers 
withdrew from the revolving disc, 
lumbered backward over the plateau. 
The pilot drew Ross and the girl 
quickly upward, over a shining sur- 
face of space-weathered metal that 
glistened in the mist-glow and down 
into the interior of the vessel. 

Ross offered no resistance. A 
boundless joy surged through him at 
the thought of the stupendous gulfs 
he was about to traverse. But Marta 
struggled a little as though in resent- 
ment as the tendril giant pilot fitted 
her slim body into a passenger berth 
that was at the rear of the pilot 
chamber. 

The immense compartment in which 
they found themselves was filled with 
a fantastic assortment of charts and 
mechanisms. Green globes filled with 
wavering fluids, metallic testing 
meters with altitudic readings which 
operated by infra-atomic control, mo- 



tion-balancing energy-depleters in 
square boxlike containers. An illumi- 
nated control panel studded with lit- 
tle, glittering dials and surmounted 
by a celestial chart of huge dimen- 
sions, in which theconstellationswere 
wondrously displayed, usurped the 
wall-space directly opposite them. 

Ross rested beside Marta in the pas- 
senger berth. The tendril giant pilot 
stood before them for an instant, wav- 
ing its tendrils and swaying its root- 
like body in the throes of unfathom- 
able^ emotions. Then it turned and 
advanced across the chamber to the 
elevated pilot’s seat which abutted on 
an observation window of such curi- 
ous molecular construction that its 
atoms were rearranged constantly as 
it passed outward into space, enabling 
it to remain utterly transparent in the 
alien magnetic fields and inconceiv- 
ably lowered temperatures of far star- 
clusters. 

T he pilot tendril giant ascended 
into the elevated seat, and curved 
one of its tendrils about a ^sngitudinal 
bar projecting from the glowing 
switchboard beside it. The bar was 
wrenched violently from its socket, 
turned about and reinserted in an 
adjacent connection. Instantly it be- 
gan to revolve, while gr^en and purple 
sparks ascended in a blinding, whirl- 
ing cascade to the roof of the cham- 
ber. The bar was a generator of 
stupendous energies. Composed of 
magnetically-conditioned molecules it 
acted as a kind of transformer, releas- 
ing stupendous fields of force in the 
liquid reservoirs of potential energy 
which reposed in the basal compart- 
ments of the great vessel. 

There was a thunderous detonation 
and a blinding spurt of light as tril- 
lions of electronvolts ripped the wave 
packets from the sealed ends of the 
propulsion tubes, lifted the great ship 
from the earth, and sent it hurtling 
outward in the direction of the glim- 
mering constellations. 

Ross’ eyes were shining.. He turned 
to the girl. 

“Do you not see, Marta,” he mur- 
mured gently, “that we are about to 
share an immortal adventure? The 



80 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



star people are testing us, testing our 
unworthy kind. Hitherto we Have 
been swayed by violent and petty 
emotions. But now, on some far galr 
axy, we shall be tested and proved 
worthy. 

“Just what the nature of the test 
will be, I do not know. But I believe 
that we shall be given some heroic 
task to perform. If we do not falter, 
if we do not allow our petty human 
emotions to sway and hamper us the 
starpeople will know that there is still 
hope for our little race. Still hope 
for the little, primitive bipeds, Mar- 
ta r 

“You have absorbed the starpeople*s 
knowledge and speak with an alien 
tongue,” Marta said after a while. 
“They are great, but they are not as 
great as we. I, too, have submitted to 
hypnosis, but though I share their 
vsdsdom I am not so easily swayed.” 

Ross’ face hardened. He tore his 
gaze from her countenanee and stared 
at the glowing observation window 
which revealed a blanket of shimmer- 
ing suns beyond the gently swaying 
body of the tendril giant pilot. He 
knew that somewhere in the far, outer 
cosmos, perhaps in some superuni- 
verse of inconceivable dimensions, he 
would be tested gloriously and rise 
forever superior to the tormenting 
limitations of his human heritage. 

“Look at me, James Ross,” said Mar- 
ta suddenly. 

Ross shivered a little, tried to keep 
his eyes riveted on the window. But 
the woman’s voice and gaze had 
forged a double weapon which threat- 
ened him with painfully sweet urg- 
ency. He turned again, and their eyes 
met in a swift, visual embrace. 

“For only a brief moment, which 
was darkened by enmity, were we to- 
gether, James Ross, in our dear human 
world. But somehow I — James Ross, 
I speak now to save you. The reti- 
cence which becomes my sex I must 
thrust asidCi When first my eyes 
looked into yours, James Ross, I 
loved you.” 

Ross’ lips were mute, but a thrill 
of wonder went through him. It was 
as if her voice had penetrated to some 
secret, inner recess of his being, jar- 



ring faculties which slumbered, re- 
storing him to a world of loveliness 
which was alien to the tendril giants* 
nature. 

“I know that everything that is 
human seems distant now and piti- 
ful,” she murmured. “But once it was 
not so. A hideous spell has been laid 
upon us, so that a mist films the bright 
face of that other glory. But through 
the mist I can see it dimly, and I know 
that the star-testings you speak of 
shrivel into insignificance beside it. 
Look at me, James Ross. Look stead- 
ily into my eyes. Perhaps w% can re- 
capture it before it is too late.” 

R OSS complied. For interminable 
minutes he gazed deeply into 
her eyes, until their soft radiance 
filled his world, his universe, until 
the tendril giants were forgotten and 
the glory which Marta saw appeared 
to him in mistless splendor, and he 
recognized it as the miracle of love. 

Suddenly his shoulders tensed and a 
grim expression came into his face. 
Swiftly he descended from the pas- 
senger berth and moved across the 
chamber. The tendril giant was bent 
above the controls, oblivious to his 
approach. Ross crept up behind ^ in 
utter silence. Slowly, cautiously, his 
arms went out. 

Marta screamed as the Patrol officer 
tore the writhing creature from its 
high metal seat, and hurled it with 
violence to the floor. The next in- 
stant Ross was down on the floor be- 
side it, clawing and tearing at its 
writhing bulk. 

The tendril giant looped its appen- 
dages about the Earthman’s limbs and 
tightened them into knots which sank 
cruelly into his flesh. Marta screamed 
again. Bright human blood appeared 
in a swelling rim about the tighten- 
ing vegetal coils; spurted over the 
rootlike creature’s repulsive, slowly 
twisting back. 

Ross continued to claw frantically 
at the torso of the prostrate monster. 
His fingers tore at pulpy flesh; his 
nails sank deeply into the thing^s soft 
vitals. He saw the wavering ceiling 
of the chamber through a pinkish mist 
which slowly deepened to the hue of 



INVADERS PROM THE OUTER SUNS 



81 



blood. Excruciating stabs of pain cut 
through his chest and snaked agoniz- 
ingly down his limbs. He was chok- 
ing for breath, gasping in an ex- 
tremity of torment when the pressure 
slowly relaxed. 

The tendril giant untwined its coil- 
ing appendages and writhed away 
from the Earthman’s clasp. The next 
instant an almost unbelievable thing 
occurred. The odious creature turned 
over on its back and began frantically 
to tear its own Hesh. Having suffered 
injury in some vital region it was pro- 
ceeding with a frenzied eagerness to 
escape from the burden of personal 
existence. 

It was all so strange and horrible 
that Marta sickened as she watched 
it. Its tendrils went out and ripped 
all the soft, spongy tissue from its 
own body. The hideous process of 
self-destruction continued until there 
was nothing left of the monster but a 
deshless endoskeleton covered with a 
dark muculent ichor which glimmered 
offensively in the strange, dim light, 
of unknown origin, which illimiined 
the interior of the chamber. 

Ross got unsteadily to his feet and 
stared in shivering horror at the 
prone, repulsively gleaming form. All 
about it lay pulpy fragments of its 
own torn and quivering flesh. For 
several minutes it continued to writhe 
and move blindly about. Then a con- 
vulsive tremor passed over it* It lay 
still. 

Ross' lips were white. The muscles 
of his face twitched a little. When 
he withdrew bis eyes from the horror 
on the floor he stood a moment with- 
out movement, staring at Marta who 
was crouching in an attitude of shud- 
dering incredulity at the edge of the 
passenger berth. 

Suddenly he passed a tremulous 
hand across his brow. 



“Marta I— I believe I can pilot this 
vessel. I remember how the controls 
work. They explained the mechanism 
to me when the^ put me to sleep. It's 
so simple a child could master it." 

He was still trembling a little. 

“They thought that might destroy 
itself," he said, nodding toward the 
denuded horror on the floor. “It of- 
ten happens. Sometimes they’re 
seized with sudden, suicidal impulses 
for no reason at all* They thought 
if it did happen I’d pilot the vessel 
back to Hyperion. That’s why they 
explained the mechanism.” 

Suddenly his eyes lit up* His voice 
grew tense, e^fultant. 

“They were blindly stupid! Do you 
know what I’m going to do, Marta, 
my darling? I’m going to reverse our 
course and fly back to Saturn. 
Through the airlocks, Marta! Into 
the skyport!” 

Abruptly he turned, limped across 
the chamber and raised himself with 
an effort into the high pilot’s chair. 

Marta sat as though stunned, si- 
lently watching him, hardly daring to 
breathe. Then a womanly impulse 
asserted itself. Descending from the 
passenger berth she crossed to his 
side and sank to her knees at the base 
of the pilot’s chair. Her copper-col- 
ored hair enveloped a wide expanse of 
gleaming metal as she laid her cheek 
against his knee. 

’^Whatever happens to us, ray dear,” 
she murmured, “we will be together 
until the end. Either on Earth, or — ** 

Her voice trailed off as the great 
interstellar craft responded to the 
guiding hand of its Earthbom pilot. 
She sat without speaking, gazed ten- 
derly up into Ross’ grimly exultant 
face, so wrapped up in him that, 
womanlike, she forgot the perils ahead 
and thought only of the miraculous 
present. 



C 

IIS THE NEXT ISSUE 



FLIGHT OF THE SILVER EAGLE 

A Novelette of Scientific Warfare 

By ARTHUR LEO ZAGAT 



THE SEEING EAR 




Trelling raised bis bund to stop the man 



Mark Trelling Finds That Short-Waves Can Talk Plenty 
When a Band of Scientific Criminals Cross 
Their Television Signals! 

By JOHN SCOTT CAMPBELL 

Author of ‘‘Beyond Pluto/* “Pillsbury*a Nickel/* etc. 



M ark trelling, president 

of American Television, 
took it quite calmly when 
the four men stepped into his autogy- 
ro at the 40th level stop and ordered 
him, at the points of their cyanite pis- 
tols, to lie upon the floor. One of the 
intruders slid into the vacated driv- 
er’s seat while the others crowded 
over him in the tiny cabin and pro- 
ceeded to bind him in sheets of 
gummed acetite. When he was thor- 



oughly tied he was placed upon one 
of the rear seats. Only then did his 
captors speak. 

“Trelling,” said one, a youngish 
bald fellow in a blue rayon business 
suit, “this is a kidnaping.” 

“I know it,” snapped the bound 
man. “What I want to know is, what 
is the idea? I hope you're not such a 
fool as to expect ransom.” 

“No,” replied the other. “No one’s 
collected ransom since the Hammerly 

82 





THE SEEING EAR 



8S 



case in 2080. That’s not what we 
want.” 

“Well, since you’re so well posted, 
I don’t need to tell you that kid- 
napers are executed.” 

“If they are caught,” added the 
other, composedly. “But they’re not 
caught where we’re taking you.” 

“And that is—” 

“Ever hear of Kerguelen Island? 
It’s a little rock in the South Indian 
Ocean. Deserted since 1990, a thou- 
sand miles from an air line. We have 
a cave there that can be entered only 
by going through forty feet of water 
at low tide. Your autogyro will be 
abandoned in a few minutes when we 
change to our own stratoship. In ten 
hours we shall cover the ten thousand 
miles to Kerguelen, the stratoship 
will be bidden under water, and there 
won’t be so much as a pebble stirred 
to tell where you are.” 

The president of American Tele- 
vision moved slightly to rest himself. 

“Very ingenious,” he commented at 
length, “but rather expensive. What 
do you get. out of it?” 

“I was coming to that. Your com- 
pany has in its possession certain in- 
formation that we want.” 

Pausing, the speaker noted his 
prisoner’s mouth set in a thin deter- 
mined line. 

“To be precise, we want to know 
the composition and method of manur. 
facture of the color sensitive material 
used in your new transmitting tube. 
As soon as you tell us that and giv^ 
demonstration of manufacture you are 
free,” 

Trelling shrugged his shoulders. 

“Then you can take care of me for 
the rest of my life,” he said. “I have 
only the vaguest idea of its composi- 
tion and I don't know how it is made. 
I am president of the Company — not 
chief technician.” 

The other smiled slightly. 

“No use, Trelling. We know all 
about you. We know that you used 
to be an expert operator and worked 
on the new dyes with Barger, the in- 
ventor.” 

“But. I still don’t know the exact 
proportions,” Trelling protested. 

“We’ve got that all fixed. We have 



a teleradio, its relay connected so the 
location can’t be traced, for you to get 
any dope you need direct from 
Barger.” 

Trelhng was silent for a moment. 
“All rightj I’ll tell you how they’re 
made, but I can’t make any outside of 
the Company laboratory. The process 
requires special apparatus and very 
exact control at every step.” 

“You can stow the sales line,” sug- 
gested the bald man briefly. “We 
have a lab on the Island that your 
chief technician wouldn’t mhid work- 
ing in.” 

A t this momemt the pilot pointed 
upward and cried out, “We’re 
under the Cirrus — ” The autog)n'o 
whipped abruptly upward, the air 
screaming about its rotors. Trelling 
had a brief glimpse of a dark hovering 
shape overhead and then, with a jolt, 
the smaller craft hooked itself onto 
the stratoship and dangled, swinging 
slightly. 

“All out,” said the bald man shortly. 
“Reid and Lindroth, carry him.” 
Mark Trelling was deposited In a 
tiny windowless cabin in the strato- 
ship, untied and left alone, all with- 
out a word being said. luring the 
brief trip through the main cabin, be 
had observed that he was on a 
medium-sized craft of an older type- 
model 2110, prob^Iy — with a hundred 
meter wing spread. Hardly any crew 
seemed in evidence; the four who had 
brought him and the half dozen in the 
control cabin seemed to make up the 
entire company, 

Trelling sat for some minutes on 
the narrow bunk and rubbed the 
places where he had been tied. A 
gentle force directed toward the rear 
indicated that the stratoship was 
accelerating, but no sound came 
through the heavily insulated wall. 

After he had reduced the ache in 
his wrists and ankles, Trelling com- 
menced a methodical examination of 
the culMcle. It measured hardly two 
by three yards, and he could easily 
touch the duralumin plates of the 
ceiling. Save for the door, the only 
opening in the walls was a three-inch 
ventilator near the ceiling, which was 



84 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



covered with screen. Standing upon 
the bunk Treiling peered into this 
and then listened carefully. No spark 
of light was visible, but a faint hum- 
ming and scratching sound came 
through. 

It was hardly a noise to attract at- 
tention, even in the 22nd Century, 
but for Mark Trelling it seemed to 
be of the utmost interest, for he 
pressed his ear flat against the open- 
ing and shut his eyes. After several 
minutes he descended to the floor, an 
expression of great excitement on his 
face. He murmured several words to 
himself. 

“Dahl— it can only be Dahl— he 
must be in a desperate corner to do 
this. Well, another hour will tell." 

Before that time had passed one of 
the crew brought a dish of food. 
Trelling took it without speaking and 
ate slowly and with apparent pleasure. 
In a few minutes the man returned for 
the dish and Trelling was left alone 
for the night. As soon as he was sure 
of this, the television president did a 
strange thing. He switched off the 
room light, placed the aluminum chair 
on the bunk and sat down, his ear 
pressed firmly against the air duct. 

The sound was still there, a curious 
fluttering and scratching, with occa- 
sional abrupt buzzes and pops, 
against a background of steady high- 
pitched whistling. Trelling listened 
attentively, nodding bis head now and 
then. After the passage of a half 
hour, he carefully replaced the chair 
and crawled into the bunk as calmly 
as though he were aboard his private 
stratoship on a vacation cruise. 

Trelling awakened some time be- 
fore the expiration of the ten hours. 
The room was still dark, the floor 
quivered slightly, indicating that the 
ship was still in motion. He lay 
quietly for a moment, and then lis- 
tened at the ventilator. After an in- 
terval he chuckled briefly, and then 
his face became grim. 

A half hour later the bald-headed 
man and two others entered. They 
found Trelling lying on the bunk, ap- 
parently asleep. The bald man shook 
him into wakefulness. 

“All out. We are here.” 



“Where?” 

“Kerguelen Island. Now, you’ll 
have to stand being tied again, and 
also blindfolded, because we don’t 
want you to see how we get in and 
out of this placo.” 

Trelling submitted quite calmly, 
making no answer to this and other 
bits of voluntary information. When 
be was satisfactorily bound, the two 
crew members picked him up and car- 
ried him through the control cabin, 
down an incline about which water 
could be heard gurgling and into a 
small room where he was placed on a 
bench. 

“Submarine,” volunteered the voice 
of the bald man. “We’re forty feet 
below the surface and just entering 
the tunnel.” 

A FAINT mechanical hum shook 
the bench slightly and a liquid 
rushing was audible about them. 
Trelling said nothing. After about 
ten minutes the vibration ceased and 
a light rocking motion took its place. 

“We are on the surface,” announced 
the bald man. ’*Open the hatch.” 
Trelling listened attentively to the 
sound of turning bolts and the sudden 
intensifying of the faint noise of 
lapping waves, A cold, damp draft 
blew in on his face, bearing the odor 
of sea water and kelp. The men 
picked him up once more, carried him 
across the rolling deck and onto solid 
footing. 

“Concrete key,” said the bald man. 
“Buih right out of sixty feet of 
water.” 

For a score of paces their footsteps 
echoed as though they were passing 
through a wide cavern, and then the 
walls and ceilings of a tunnel closed 
about, muffling all sounds. Several 
doors were opened and closed, a half 
dozen turns were made, and then, at 
an order from the bald-headed man, 
blindfold and bonds were stripped off. 

Trelling found himself in a small, 
concrete-lined room in which were a 
dozen men and a radio television set. 
It was, he noted with ironic recogni- 
tion, a product of his own Company. 
As they entered the room, the bald 
man spoke to him. 



THE SEEING EAR 






“We’ve got Barger waiting at the 
plant for your call. Get the dope and 
you’ll be back home in fifteen hours.” 
Trelltng nodded and stepped before 
the transmitter. In an instant the 
white screen flashed brightly and 
George Barger stood before him in 
the office, an expression of anxiety on 
his face. 

“Mark,” he cried, “in heaven’s name 
what’s happened? Where are—” 
Trailing raised his hand to stop the 
other. He said nothing for a moment, 
and then drew a deep breath. Finally 
he replied. 

“I’m in the office of Dahl Tele- 
vision, Dahl Building, New York. 
Surround the building—” 

The screen before him went blank, 
a dozen hands seized him, but the 
damage was done. For an instant it 
appeared that he would receive bodily 
harm, and then an authoritative voice 
called out and a thick-set, spectacled 
man came from behind the screen. 
He rubbed his hands together and 
made a weak attempt to smile. 

“The game’s up,” said Trailing 
crisply. “Now, Dahl, talk and talk 
ftist. The aerial police are landing by 
now. This was a pretty raw trick and 
you’re going to pay.” 

Three minutes later; as the first of 
the aerial police entered the room, 
Trelling slipped a seven figure draft 
into his pocket. Dahl sank into a 
chair. In another moment Barger 
and a score from the American Tele- 
vision burst into the room. Trelling, 
now as calm as though he were at a 
Board meeting, took the police cap- 
tain aside. 

When the aerial police had de- 
parted, Trelling turned to Dahl and 
the bald-headed man. 

“Since you were so kind as to give 
me a conducted tour through your 
'subterranean caverns,’ ” he said 
briskly, 'Til reciprocate by showing 
you where your scheme slipped up.” 
His glance flicked over the abject 
group before him. “There were sev- 
eral minor errors, such as record 
scratch in the bubbling and wave 
noises, and distortion in the electrical 
echo machine, but I knew the whole 
trick before I’d even left the ship.” 



D ahl stared at him In stupefac- 
tion. 

“You did a good job, frightening 
me with fear of life-long imprison- 
ment at the ends of the earth, and 
putting me in a windowless cabin so 1 
couldn’t see where I was taken, but 
there was one loophole— or rather a 
ventilator hole. I couldn’t see through 
it, but I could hear. I heard the hum 
coming from the audio transformers 
of the infra-red television navigator 
that transmitted the route to the 
pilot.” 

Seeing the blank expressions on the 
faces before him^ Trelling explained. 

“Dahl, there're some advantages in 
being trained as a television operator. 
I checked images for fifteen years be- 
fore I became president, and in that 
time I learned a lot that no business 
man ever knows. AU those years 
while I watched images, I also lis- 
tened, involuntarily, to the sound of 
the television signals— the hisses and 
clicks and bumps that correspond to 
light and dark shades in the picture. 
You scarcely notice them even around 
a high-powered set, unless you know 
for what to listen. But once you hear 
them, they're unmistakable. And after 
you’ve heard them often enough you 
commence to be able to understand 
the picture they represent without 
seeing the screen. After all, the de- 
tails are all there — it’s merely a matter 
of correct in^rpretation — developing 
of a sixth sense, if you wish, that of 
seeing through the ears. 

“Naturally, ^hen I heard the sound 
of television coming through the ven- 
tilator from the navigation room, I 
watched with ray ears I soon saw— 
or heard — that we were not heading 
southwest toward the Indian Ocean, 
but were circling about a few hundred 
miles from New York. The rest was 
simple. The ship hovered above the 
Dahl Building for a half hour before 
settling — the letters Dahl Television 
were clearly audible on the roof, and 
I could almost hear the features of 
Dahl himself looking up at us.” 
Trelling paused and glanced about 
thf' room. 

“Racketeering,” he said virtuously, 
“doesn’t pay in the year 2136.” 



THE ICE ENTITY 

Deep in the Frozen Arctic Wastes, One Man and a Girl 
Strive to Solve the Seaet of a Strange Sentient 
Life That Would Blot Out the Sun! 

By JACK WILLIAMSON 

Author oi of tbo Sua/* of Spaco/* ato. 



CHAPTER I 
Fingers of the Ice 

B lake had tried to dissuade 
Jean Adare from undertaking 
the fatal journey. 

*^Better stay here with me, Jean,** he 
had advised. **Here, there's a chance. 
Out there, on the ice, you won’t live 
an hour/* 




Bfake saw the greea ropes of 6re 



**Non/* muttered the little 'breed. 
"X go! I know we die here. Ze wood 
almos’ gone. We freeze, or worse—*’ 
His trembling hand seized Blake's 
arm. “You come wit’ me, mon vieux?** 
“No, Jean. I’ve got work to do." 
Blake’s big hand had gestured at 
the crude bench across the end of the 



cabin, where the white radiance of an 
electric bulb fell on hi$ delicate and 
tiny instruments. “If 1 get it done 
we can live without a Bre." 

**Mon Dieuf Ze ice has made you 
crazy. Au revoir. I go, before it is too 
late — " 

“Walt," Blake protested. “Listen, 
man. You’ll be killed—’’ 

Later, rubbing the thick frost from 
a tiny window, Blake watched Jean 
Adare try to fight his way south 
across the shining horror of the 
glacier, toward the Chandalar- Yukon 
trait. Watched him— die. 

Fear had preyed upon them all the 
dreadful winter; and for three weeks 
terror had lived with them in the 
cabin. 

The tiny building stood on ground 
almost level, a hundred yards above 
the glacier that had ;Come down the 
valley of the Mannabec. The arctic 
barrens, southward and east, spread 
shining desotatlool Northward the 
plateau lifted into ice-armored hills, 
cleft with the glacier gorge of the 
Mannabec. 

Mason Blake was a big man. His 
wide-shouldered body was bulky with 
furs. His red hair was unkempt, 
shaggy ; his blue eyes, hard with little 
glints of steel, shone above the win- 
ter’s growth of curly red beard. His 
great hands, bare to the chill in the 
room, trembled as they handled deli- 
cate metal objects. 

He strove to find forgetfulness in 
the details of this task that had so 



A Complete Novelette of Polar Catastrophe 



88 



THRILLING WONDER STOR1S8 



many years absorbed him. But the 
horror that had driven Jean Adare out 
to die still lurked in the silent room. 

Blake thus far had resisted the mad- 
ness that drove the ’breed to death. 
Vet he understood it, because it had 
claimed one comer of bis brain. He 
felt nothing but sympathy for the 
fugitive. 

In the brief summers, while they 
worked the rich placer deposit that 
was now buried under the glacier. 
Jean Adare had ever been a generous 
and gay companion. But the dark 
chord of fear in his primitive heart 
always responded to winter’s bitter 
threat. 

Always, he had been annoyed by 
Blake’s experiments. And, at the last, 
when he had been terrified, he had 
found Blake’s absorbed serenity in- 
tolerable. 

**Que diablet** he had burst out once, 
angrily. ’’Speak to me! 1 cannot en- 
dure ze dax^ silence. Say zat ^ou are 
cold. Say you fear ze ice. I t’ink you 
drive me crazy!” 

’’You never understand, Jean, what 
Tm doing—” 

’’Non, but I do understan*. I under- 
Stan’ sat you are beeg fool, yts. You 
try to destroy gold—” 

"I can destroy gold,” Blake cor- 
rected him cheerfully. ’’You saw the 
activated particles imder the micro- 
cope, like golden stars burning. What 
I’m working on is a way to control the 
process— and 1 think ^e tau-ray will 
do it. 

”What you don’t tmderstand is that 
energy is worth more than gold. One 
tiny grain would give us light and 
heat all the winter. One little flake 
would drive a steamboat up the 
Yukon from the Aphoon pass to the 
Chandalar.” 

But Adare refused to catch Blake’s 
enthusiasm. He went back to crouch 
miserably over the stove, his one dark 
eye staring solemnly at the dwindling 
pile of wood. The stringy, stained 
wisp of his beard moved monoto- 
nously as he chewed; ever and again 
the stove hissed as he spat upon it. 

The whole winter had been a bur- 
den. But the two before had passed 
without tragedy. It was the bewilder* 



ing, the inexplicable, the mind- 
crushing events of the last three 
weeks that had driven the ’breed upon 
his fatal flight. 

Blake knew, he thought, more than 
any other man of this incredible 
nightmare that had seized all the 
world. Yet his scientific mind 
searched in vain for its origins. 

The winter had been the coldest of 
history — here and throughout the 
northern hemisphere. The radio had 
brought reports of unprecedented bliz- 
zards sweeping all i^erica. The un- 
paralleled displays of the aurora had 
spread wings of terrifying flame 
visible almost to the equator — the re- 
sult, Blake knew, of a period of ex- 
treme sunspot activity. 

The cold, the aurora — all the world 
knew of them. But Blake and Adare 
had been the first to observe stranger 
things. They had seen a green and 
living light spread through the ice, an 
uncanny, pulsating glow that seemed 
independent of the auroral fires. They 
had seen the glaciers break and move, 
despite the cold, as if they flowed to 
the pressure of an inner purpose. 

B ewildered, b i a k e had 

paused in his researches long 
enough to assemble a little short-wave 
transmitter, powered from the: small 
gasoline motor-generator under the 
beach. For a month be bad reported 
daily to the world all he could i^serve 
of the strange fire and motion of the 
ice. 

His last message had carried bis 
observationB of a stranger thing: the 
motionless, unchanging cloud that 
loomed black and sharp-edged against 
the aurora, above the shining north- 
ward hills. 

The interference of terrific electric 
storms had been making radio com- 
munication almost impossible, and 
that day Jean Adare had been ab- 
ruptly seized with the obsession that 
this electrical interference was a 
deliberate attempt of the ice to cut off 
the reports. 

’’Stop it!” he screamed as Blake sat 
before his microphone, patiently re- 
peating his message against the roar- 
ing flood of static. ”You tell ze secrets 



THE ICE ENTITY 



89 



of ze ice. It is an^ry I It will kill us, 
unless you stopl Que diaWe— ” 

“Kill us? How?” 

“Ze damn glacier! It creeps up ze 
slope. Ze green fire is in it. Grand 
Dieu! It cc»7ies to crush us—” 

Rubbing away the frost to peer 
through the window, Blake had seen 
that the green and shining wall of ice* 
that had come down out of the hills to 
fill the valley of the Mannabec, was 
indeed nearer than it should have 
been, 

A crash brought his eyes back into 
the room. He saw that the desperate 
’breed had smashed his microphone. 
Strangely, the interference had imme- 
diately lessened somewhat, so that be 
was able to pick up reports of the ex- 
treme cold, of loss of life — and to hear 
the frantic appeals of scientists for 
his observations. 

But the greatest puzzle, the most 
terrific catastrophe, was what had 
happened to the sun. That had been 
two weeks later, now three weeks ago. 

Jean Adare bad been waiting with 
almost pathetic eagerness for the eim. 
He had marked the passing days upon 
a tattered calendar, prayed for the 
dawn of spring. 

At last eame a time when the 
aurora flamed in a clear sky, and the 
bitter air was still. Jean Adare slipped 
into his furs and went outside the hut. 
Blake, a moment later, heard his eager 
shout : 

“Le bon Dieuf The sun—” 

Dropping his tools, he ran outside- 
just in time to meet Jean’s exclama- 
tion of frightened wonder. 

Jean was standing on the point of 
rock above the cabin, peering south 
across the weirdly shining glacier and 
the barrens. For three hours it had 
been dull daylight. A glow of rose had 
come into the southern sky, the dawn 
of the summer-long arctic day. And 
now Blake saw the sun, a disc of red 
gold, raggedly bitten off by distant 
peaks. 

Even as Adare’s cry of fear rang 
upon his ears the sun dulled, went out. 
The flush of dawn faded into strange 
gloom. The sky had become a change- 
less dome of dusky, frozen violet. 

Upon the dark, rocky point the 



’breed had turned to stare into the 
north. Barrens and mountain shcme 
alike with terrible, ghostly green. 
Above the ice, like eldritch phantoms 
marching, were glittering shapes of 
green. 

The black cloud that had hung 
beyond the hills was gone. 

“See!” screamed the ’breed. “Ze ice 
—it grows fingers! Fingers of green 
fire. Zey put out ze sun. Now zey 
reach to strangle us! Ze fingers— 
fingers of ze ice—4’ 

Babbling with terror, he sprutg 
from the rock and started running 
south. Blake had caught him before he 
reached the glacier, brought him back 
to the cabin. But the next three weeks 
had been too much for him. The violet 
sky never changed. The cold grew 
steadily more intense. And the horror 
at last drove the ’breed to draw his 
knife, make Blake let him go. 

“I’ll see you,” Blake called as they 
parted, “when the spring comes.” 

Jean Adare said grimly, “Spring, 
she nevair come!” 

He cracked his whip and shouted to 
the shivering huskies. Blake closed 
the door regretfully, and watched 
through the frost on the window. The 
'breed drove the cringing, unwilling 
malamutes straight south, toward the 
ragged green wa*ite of the glacier 
whose slow, inexorable advance on the 
cabin had so terrified him. 

Blake watched green fire flowing fn 
the iee, pulsating like luminous 
blood. Numbed with horror, Blake 
saw insidious green fingers clutching 
at the man, the huskies. 

He saw them dragged down. He 
shut his eyes and turned away when 
he knew that the ice had conquered. 

Grimly, hands stiff with cold, brain 
paralyzed with the impact of alien 
menace, he drove himself back to his 
task. 



CHAPTER II 
Fire of the Golden Atom 



M ason BLAKE once had felt 
himself the happiest man in the 

world. 



90 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



It was now four years ago since, 
takings an advanced degree in tech* 
nology, he had published his thesis. 
Theory o/ Atomic Activation. It had 
won him the recognition that tuaned a 
wild dream into glorious p(^ibility. 
His father had made him vice*pres* 
ident of the struggling little Blake- 
Maddon Electric Company, promised 
him laboratory and funds for his 
atomic resear^. Jane Maddon, tall, 
grey-eyed daughter of his father's de- 
ceased partner, promised to marry 
him. 

But Ellet Frey read the thesis and 
sent for Blake. Blake didn't go—his 
father’s little firm had been crippled, 
more than once, by the ruthless ac- 
tivities of Fr^s colossal Planet 
Power Corporation; Blake shared a 
proud resentment. 

Frey came at last to Blake’s labora- 
tory. A gaunt, gigantic man, with 
bright, cold eyes. 

“You’ve got something I want, 
Blake. Atomic power. I'll give you a 
contract at two hundred thousand a 
year, for five years, to work it out for 
Planet." 

"It's worth nothing, now,” Blake 
told him. "It isn’t even a toy— because 
to play with It is too dangerous. If 1 
do get it worked out it will be worth a 
million times your offer." 

The power king smiled. 

"2*m glad to see your confidence. 
My offer is doubled." 

"I've nothing to sell," Blake said, 
flatly. 

"won’t sell, eh?" Frey’s eyes glit- 
tered frostily. "I get what I want, 
Blake. 1*11 take it.” 

Blake had smiled his defiance, 
until incredible disaster struck. 

His father, trying to make the little 
firm safe from Frey's operations, had 
contracted for large stocks of copper, 
bad borrowed funds to fit up Blake's 
expensive laboratories. Learning of 
the situation. Prey dumped huge 
amounts of copper on the market and 
used his vast influence to force the un- 
willing creditors to call their loans. 

When Frey's newspapers managed 
to color the ensuing bankruptcy with 
criminal charges. Blake's father shot 
himself in despair. 



Frey, taking possession of the firm’s 
assets, seized Blake’s laboratory. But 
no practical application of Blake’s 
theories had been completed ; and 
Frey's engineers, recalling a casual 
observation of Blake’s, that gold acti- 
vated by his process would be roughly 
829,440,000 times more active than 
pure radium, canniiy refused to make 
any attempt to carry on the work. 

Chagrined, Frey then charged that 
Blake had stolen records and appa- 
ratus from the laboratory. He de- 
manded that Blake perfect and hand 
over a workable process of gold-dis- 
ruption. 

Despairing of establishing his inno- 
cence in the courts, Blake had fled to 
escape arrest. In happier summers, 
when he vacationed with his father in 
Alaska, Jean Adare had been their 
guide. Blake had grub-staked the 
half-breed, and a scrawled letter now 
brought hhn word of AdafB’s rich 
strike on the Mannabec. 

Thus it came about that Mason 
Blake had spent three years in the 
arctie, digging gold through the sum- 
mer. toiling through the long winter 
to perfect a process for the controlled 
dfsintegration of its atoms. Success 
meant power to clear his dead father’s 
name, meant freedom to return to. the 
world— to Jane Maddon. r 

He had kept in touch with Jane. 
Left penniless by the disaster, she had 
found employment as assistant to Dr. 
Mark Lxngard, a distinguished scien- 
tist and electrical engineer, for whom 
the old firm had man^actured experi- 
mental equipment. He knew that she 
was waiting. 

Blake turned back to his bench, 
after he had watched Jean Adare die 
on the glacier. 

He rested his numb fingM'S on a 
switch. His blue eyes rested on a 
golden fleck, almost invisible, lying 
on the insulated stage before the con- 
cave anode of his tau-ray tube. Had 
he failed again? 

Radium, disintegrating, uses up 
half its bulk in some sixteen cen- 
turies. Gold, activated by Blake’s 
discovery, was half gone in fifty-nine 
seconds. What he sought was a way 
to control the terrific force he had 



THE ICE ENTITY 



91 



liberated ; for such power, un- 
harnessed, was a monster set free. 

If he had failed again, the quartz 
stage would be fused and shattered 
with resistless atomic flame. 

covered his eyes with his big 
hand, closed the switch. No 
Are seared him, and he looked. The 
metal flake was burning on the disc of 
quartz like a golden star. With trem- 
bling Angers, he varied the intensity 
of the tau-rays. The star obediently 
waxed and waned. 

Blake sighed with a deep, weary 
gratitude, and held his stiff fingers in 
the radiant warmth of the star. 

'‘Doner he whispered. “Gold has 
been master of man, through all his- 
tory-— and made him into things like 
Frey. Now man is the master of gold.*' 
His tired eyes closed. “Done— if it 
had been three years ago—" 

The golden light still flooded the 
room as he pried a board from the 
bunk, and split it up to make a Are. 
He made tea for himself, ate, slept> 
The fire was dead again when he woke. 
But the gold star still burned ; its rays 
bad warmed the room a little. 

He sat up on the bunk, and stared 
at it, with a new light in his blue. eyes. 

**The world Is freezing,'* he whis- 
pered. “Somehow— freezing. But if 
men had portable heat, portable 
light—" 

He made another Are, and went back 
to the bench. Chairs and rough table 
went into the stove as he worked. The 
wood from the bunks. But the fire 
went out before he had finished, and 
silent freezing death came back into 
the cabin. 

But the thing at last was done: a 
little cylinder two inches thick, a 
foot long. It held the tiny mechanism 
of the activator, the delicate little tau- 
ray tube with its minute coils and con- 
densers. And half a pound of gold. 

He twisted at a little stud, and a 
warm golden light shone out of the 
tube. It drove the darkness from the 
cabin, thawed the rime of frost that 
had crept through the walls. He fed 
the shivering, whimpering dogs 
again; then, cold and exhausted, he 
lay down in the golden beam. 



Steep presently pressed upon him, 
ridden with nightmares of the green 
fingers of the Ice. 



CHAPTER III 
The Lift of tho Ice 



T he throb of a motor broke that 
last nightmare. Numb with the 
cold that had crept into his body, de- 
spite the golden warmth of the ray, 
Blake ran eagerly out into the frigid 
violet dusk. Green fire flowed and 
danced in the wild glacier that filled 
the valley of the Mannabec. Above it, 
he saw the plane, a dark fleck drifting 
in the sky. ^ 

Trembling with the breathless hope 
of contact with man, he held the dis- 
rupter like a flashlight, swept its beam 
back and forth. A white flare an- 
swered from the plane. . Soon it 
dropped toward him in a long glide. 
There was landing space, he 
thought, on the snow-covered plateau 
behind the c^n. He clambered 
hastily upon a point of rock, poured 
the golden flood across it. The plane 
sank low over the glacier. Then: 
“Look out! For God’s sake I" The 
scream burst uselessly from hU lips. 
“The Angers of the ice." 

The pilot seemed to tense hie 
danger. The plane shot upward. 
Blake's muscles tensed as he watched 
the battle. He trembled to the roar 
of the motors that fought to save the 
ship. 

Green ropes of Are had flowed up 
from the ice. Serpents of green flame 
coiled about wings and ■ fuselage, 
tensed straight, pulled the machine to 
relentless destruction. Blake's breath 
went out in a long gasp of silent pain 
u he saw the ship strike, crumple as 
it flopped grotesquely over, saw the 
first lurid streamer of yellow flame 
lick upward from the wreck. 

He saw the quick motion of a little 
figure near it, a survivor. Remember- 
ing the fate of Jean Adare, he thought 
he would be too late to help anyone. 
Bat with the disrupter, perhaps there 
was a chance. 

Ha plunged down from the rocky 



92 



THRILLIND WONDER STORIES 



point, hitched the dogs to the sled, 
and raced toward the flaming wreck. 

Under a sky of chill violet, the 
glacier burned with unearthly living 
green. He was amazed again at its 
nearness to the cabin. Its motion was 
too slow to see. Rut in a few more 
days— 

He mounted the ragged edge of the 
glacier. The green throbbed and 
flowed beneath him, like blood of cold 
fire. 

The point of granite that marked 
the cabin became a small dot behind 
him. The plane, now, was close ahead. 
It lay across a ragged fissure, the 
broken landing gear pointing into the 
amazing sky. One wing was twisted 
and splintered. 

Uke a golden blade, the flame was 
thrusting ever higher. Was he too 
late? 

Something gripped his fur-booted 
ankle. He sprawled on the ice, but his 
fingers clung to the sled, and the rac- 
ing huskies, with a tug that wrenched 
his big body, jerked hh» free. 

Running on, he looked back at the 
green writhing tentacles. Sick, in- 
credulous fear mounted higher in him. 

Fingers of the ice! Half insand, 
Jean Adare had screamed of them. 
Blake had seen them drag the ’breed 
down to death. He had witched them 
wreck the plane. Now they were 
clutching at his own body, at the 
dogs. The huskies leaped from them, 
yelping with pain. 

Blalre was so near he coufd hear the 
crackling flames, when he was caught 
again. The sled jerked onward, his 
numbed fingers slipped. He fell 
against the ice, and found an astound- 
ing, half-invisible net about him. 
Desperately be fought the chilling, 
strangling meshes. 

The dogs were snarled in the har- 
ness, fighting the bands of terrible, 
living li^t — and one another. One 
had his fangs In the other’s throat, and 
both were being crushed in the green 
coils. 

Above their yelps, Blake heard the 
increasing roar of the conflagration. 
In the motionless air the flame was 
rising swiftly, fanned with its own 
draught. The orange light of burn- 



ing gasoline flickered over the ice* 

Abruptly he was free. The green 
tentacles seemed to recoU from the 
flame. The ice beneath him was now 
black. 

He stumbled on toward the plane. 
The fuselage was a roaring furnace. 
No human being could be alive within 
it. But he bad seen a figure moving, 
outside— 

“Help! Here—” 

The faint voice drifted out of a 
crevice in the ice. He stumbled, came 
upon two human figures beside a 
tapered cylinder of shining steel. One 
was limp, unconscious; in spite of the 
bulky flying togs, he could see that it 
was a girl. 

“Herd!” the man called again, ner- 
vous, urgent. “Help me get her away. 
Bombs in the plane!” 

H IS voice was a husky gasp of 
pain. His small head was bare ; 
one side was a bloody smear. His 
right arm flapped limply against his 
body. 

Beside him, Blake bent over the 
girl. The first glimpse of her white 
face set a confusion of surprised de- 
light and agony to roaring in bis head. 

“Jane!” he whispered. “Jane, hoyr 
did you—” 

The little tanned man, with his good 
hand, was unscrewing something from 
the end of the steel cylinder. 

“Carry her away," he rapped, 
hoarsely. “Think 1 can make it by 
myself, with this detonator. But 
hurry ! The bombs—” 

Blake ran with the girl back to the 
sled. Although the green fire of the 
ice had retreated, the huskies were 
still rolling in deadly battle. With 
Jane here, the plane wrecked, they 
might mean life itself. He cuffed 
them, stopped their wolfish struggle. 

He was untangling the harness 
when the little brdwn man came reel- 
ing up, his left band grasping the 
little brass cylinder of the detonator 
from the bomb. 

"Had to save it,” he gasped. “You’ll 
need the bomb.” He thrust it at Blake. 
“Go on!” he urged. “Leave me. Miss 
Maddon will tell you what to do. 
Hurry! Sigma-bombs in the plane. 



THB ICE ENTITY 



Equal a hundred tons of nitro — ** 

Blake seized him» tumbled him on 
the sled beside the girl. His whip 
cracked. 

“Mush, fellows !“ 

The flaming wreck was a mile be> 
hind when sudden radiance shone blue 
upon the glacier, and the Httle man 
gasped through white lips, “Down!” 

Blake steered the sled into a crev- 
asse, dived after it. The ice jolted to 
a shattering concussion, followed b 3 r 
an air wave that flattened them like a 
crushing hand. Ice-pinnacles tumbled 
down about them. 

When Blake lifted his ringing 
head, the glacier was black. The 
green Are was gone. 

“CiMTie on,” he said, “If we can 
make it to the cabin-~-” 

Then he saw that the little man's 
lips were moving, realized that he was 
deaf. The little man pulled himself 
and the inert body of the girl off the 
sled, held up the brass detonator, 
pointed back across the glacier. Blake 
bent in the roaring silence, faintly 
heard the screamed words: 

“Get the bomb— while the Ice is 
dead.” 

He drove the frightened huskies 
back toward the crater where the 
wreck had been. He found the shin- 
ing cylinder of the sigma-bomb be- 
yond it, half covered with shattered 
ice. He lifted it onto ^e sled, started 
back. 

Endless serpents of green Are were 
creeping beneath him in the dark ice, 
when he got back to the little man 
and Jane. He put her back on the 
sled, beside the bomb. 

Green snakes were darting at them, 
above the surface of the ice, before 
they came to the edge of the glacier. 
But Blake had learned a lesson. He 
twisted a stud on the side of his 
cylinder, and its golden beam grew 
more intense, 

“An atomic ray,” he shouted at the 
other man. “Light seems to kill the 
ice. I've stopped it up to ten kilo- 
. watts.” 

The yellow flood drove back the 
creeping tongues of green. They 
came safely off the glacier. Blake 
helped the man and the girl into the 



cabin, propped the cylinder in a 
corner, so that its warming golden ray 
fell across the room. 

When Blake had examined Jane's 
bruises, set the little man’s arm and 
bandaged his head, they talked. 

*T’m Mark Lingard.” 

“I see.” said Blake. “I knew that 
Jane had been with you.” 

Lingard smiled through his band- 
ages at the quietly breaking girl. 

“A splendid assistant, Miss Mad- 
den, ” he said. “Fine scientifle mind. 
It was her intuition that suggested my 
investigation—” 

“Tell me,” inte^upted Blake. “Do 
you know what has happened? The 
ice?” 

Awkwardly, with his left hand, Lin- 
gard fumbled for his pipe. Blake fBled 
and lighted it for him. 

“Life has been born in the ice.” 
His voice was deliberate, low. “I say 
life— that’s the only word I know to 
use. Certainly it is something very 
different from animal life, and even 
that is a little difficult to define. 

W M NYHOW, it is pretty obvious 

Xm that the ice has something 
that we must ^all mind; and mind 
seems to me the'essence and the meas- 
ure of life. Just what gave birth to 
it, 1 can*t say. But I believe that it 
is the establishment of a relationship 
between the ice crystals, analogous to 
that between the neurone cells in the 
brain. 

“Probably a matter of eleetro- 
dynamic potentials. The origin of it 
I conceive to be associated with the 
winter's phenomenal displays of the 
aurora: the impact of electronic and 
electromagnetic Influences from the 
sun. 

“How its energy is derived again I 
cannot say with certainty. Probably, 
however, by the diversion of heat into 
other energy forms. That accoxmts 
for the increasing cold. 

“The fact remains that it displays 
energy: by luminescence, by the ex- 
traordinary motion of the ice, by 
manipulation of objects and forces 
outside the ice. And the release of 
that energy, ngain, is patently di- 
reoted by intelligent purpose. Such 



94 



THRILLING WONDBR STORIES 



discrimination in energy-release is the 
very fundamental of life." 

He was fingering the sling that held 
his useless arm. 

“Its purpose,” he said, “is evidently 
directed toward the annihilation of 
mankind. Its intelligence promises to 
be sufficient to accomplish it.” 

“You mean — the sun?” 

Lingard’s brown, bandaged head 
nodded soberly. 

"Was that a blow at mankind?” 
Blake asked. 

‘T think so— an incidental one. The 
ice is Intelligent enough to know fear, 
and it has showed that it fears man- 
even by wrecking our plane. But the 
sun itself, of course, was a greater 
menace than man." 

“Of course. It would have melted 
the ice.” 

*‘The danger was more Immediate 
than the melting of the ice,” said Lin- 
gard. "The sentience of the tee is a 
matter of delicately balanced electro- 
magnetic potential differences. The 
sun gave it birth, with the strange 
effects associated with the aurora. But 
the powerful actinic radiation of ordi- 
nary sunlight would upset those deli- 
cate balances, kill it.” 

"I see,” said Blake. “That*s why 
light drives it back.” His voice sank. 
"But how — how did it put out the 
sun?” 

"My experiments have proved,” 
Lingard said deliberately, "that the 
upper atmosphere is flooded with a 
strange ultra-short radiation. It is of 
a type that excites fluorescence in 
helium molecules under certain condi- 
tions, and I am certain that it is the 
secondary radiation they emit that has 
shut off the sunlight, by the interfer- 
ence of exactly synchronized wave 
frequencies.” 

’‘That radiation?” Blake asked 
breathlessly. “Where does it come 
from ?•* 

"T approximated the position of its 
source,” said Lingard. "By direc- 
tional methods, and triangulation. It 
is not far from here. North — probably 
beyond the mountains. We came 
north in the hope that with your aid 
we could locate and destroy the 
source — ” 



"And bring back the sun,” whis- 
pered Blake. "It must be done.” His 
shaggy head lifted. "You had just the 
one plane?” 

"We were lucky to have that,” said 
Mark Lingard, bitterly. "I think you 
know Frey — Ellet Frey?” 

Blake bit his Up; his bearded face 
twitched with pain. 

"I do. Because I wouldn't seU him 
the disrupter, he destroyed my 
father’s business and his life. For 
three years Fve been hiding from his 
tfumped-up charges.” His blue eyes 
were savage. "What has Frey done?” 

"A strange thing, Blake. You see, 
semethiiLg has happened to Frey.” 

INGERLY caressing his broken 
arm, he explained: >- 

"The success of my investigations, 
Blake, is due largely to your radio re- 
ports. When I put our observations 
together, and with Miss Maddon’s aid, 
formulated a theory of the menace 
and a plan to avert It, I laid all my 
work before the president. He prom- 
ised nte every support. Funds, assis- 
tants from the Burcfu of Standards, 
and the aid of the army in carrying 
out whatever campaign I could plan. 

"But your messages had been re- 
broadcast all over the world. Five 
weeks ago, when they suddenly 
ceased, there was a storm of popular 
interest in you. At its clhnax, Ellet 
Frey announced that he was undertak- 
ing a privately financed rescue expedi- 
tion.” 

"Strange,” muttered Blake. "Unless 
he hoped to get the disrupter— But 
go on.” 

"Two weeks ago, with four planes 
and twenty-eight men, he flew north 
across Canada from Spokane. Miss 
Maddon and I were then in Seattle, 
organizing our own expedition. We 
had ten new army bombing planes, 
with a splendid corps of picked offi- 
cers and scientists. The military 
part of the expedition was in com- 
mand of a friend of mine, Major 
Wade Cameron. 

"The day before we were planning 
to take off, Frey came back across 
Canada, with one battered plane, 
alone. I don't know what had taken 



THE ICE ENTITY 



95 



place, Blake. But something had hap* 
pened to him — ^to his mind."* 

Lingard’s low voice sank. 

“He gave the newspapers a most 
absurdly fantastic story, Blake. He 
told them that it was you who had ex* 
tlnguished the sun.’* 

“I?” Blake was breathless. “I?** 
“His story was ridiculous; it would 
have been incredible to a sane world. 
He told how his expedition had been 
met by a fleet of strange black planes, 
shot down. He was captured, he said, 
by a group of fanatic cultists, and 
found you their leader. 

“It was your discovery of atomic 
energy, he said, that had been used to 
put out the sun. Your purpose, he 
said, was to crush civilization, kill all 
humanity save your chosen handful, 
and then establish some grotesque 
anarchistic society. Your radio mes- 
sages about the living ice, he said, had 
been merely a blind for the plot. 

“He escaped from you, he said, fled 
in the plane to warn the world.** 

“Ana people—’* whispered Blake— 
“people believed him?** 

“The world isn’t sane,” said Lln- 
gard. “Men are afraid — ^horribly ' 
afraid of the life in the ice. They 
were eager for a chance to call the 
appalling truth a lie, glad to cast the 
blame on a human being, on some- 
thin they could undersund. 

“The president accepted his story 
without question. Major Cameron re- 
ceived orders immediately to halt the 
expedition. And we learned that Frey 
had come to Seattle with a group of 
Federal men, with warrants for the 
arrest of Miss Maddon and myself as 
accomplices in the alleged plot. 

“We should have failed utterly but 
for the faith and courage of Major 
Cameron. Miss Maddon had come to 
me at the airport. Major Cameron 
pretended to arrast us. announced that 
he was taking us to Washington for 
trial, and flew north with us instead. 

“Frey was outwitted for the mo- 
ment. But when Cameron Ignored 
radio orders to turn back, we learned 
that Frey himself had taken off in an- 
other plane to follow us. He is only 
a few hours behind, and he has threat- 
ened to kill us on sight. A whols 



squadron of army planes took off as 
soon as it could be organized, to fol- 
low and aid him to destroy us. 

“We have not only the ice to fight,” 
Mark Lingard said solemnly, “but 
man as weil.” 

He limped to the window. 

“Back in the States,” he whispered, 
“it seemed incredible that the ice was 
alive — that’s why Frey’s story was so 
promptly accepted. We must kill the 
ice, Blake. If we fail, human life 
won’t last very long. Already people 
are dying by tens of thousands, as 
supplies of food and fuel run out. 
Frost has reached the equator, the liv- 
ing glaciers are pushing down. 

“It is a new ice-age dawning. The 
ice will overwhelm forests and cities, 
until the continents are covered with 
living green. Even the oceans will 
freeze-; green fire will spread through 
them, until the planet is one green 
globe of endless frozen night, ruled 
by the entity of frost.” 

“We must not fail,” Blake was 
whispering grimly, when he heard 
Jane’s low voice, and went eagerly 
back to the waking girl. 



CHAPTER IV 
The Fiend of the Fe/est 



I T was four hours later that the 
three set out , through the atll! 
violet dusk, across the living ice. Jane 
Maddon had declared herself able to 
follow the sled. 

The five lean huskies were running 
before the sled. It carried the sigma- 
bomb, and Blake's carefully selected 
equipment. 

Following were the three: Blake 
with his long whip and the disrupter; 
Jane Maddon, still white-faced with 
pain; the brown little scientist with 
his slun|; arm, limping awkwardly on 
unfamiliar snow-shoes. 

The disrupter, set to give an intense 
hot golden beam, burned a path acrosMi 
the snow, into the mysterious menace 
of the frozen barrens. 

“Your batteries — ” Jane had asked 
as they started, **won't they burn 
out?’* 



9 « 



THHILLINO WONDER STORIES 



“They are half a pound of gold,” 
Blake told her. “They would last a 
thousand years.“ 

“Your atomic discovery?” she cried 
eagerly. “Oh, I’m so glad, Mace!” 

“If we win, Jane — if life goes on,” 
he whispered, “it can give us — every- 
thing. It will clear Dad’s name, and 
make us safe from Frey — ” 

Beneath the fur parka, her grey 
eyes shadowed. 

“But Frey’s after us, Mace,** she 
whispered. “In the north, something’s 
happened to him. I saw him, after he 
came back—" Her voice trembled 
with dread. “He’s mad — ^he’s a hend. 
He’s still after us, Mace — with the 
green of the ice in his eyes!" 

In the changeless violet dusk, the 
motionless air seemed to congeal 
about them. Numbing, bitter, in- 
sidious, its cold penetrated their furs. 
A terrible silence dosed in on them 
— the stillness of a world without 
life. 

Jane refused to ride the sled, tmtil, 
with a little gasping cry, she col- 
lapsed on the ice. Blake was putting 
her on the sled, when Wolf, the great 
lead dog, went mad. He whirled ia 
the traces and crouched for an instant, 
v/ith a singular wailing howl. The 
green of the ice, Blake thought, was 
oddly reflected in his eyes. 

Out of the crouch, he sprang sav- 
agely back upon the other dogs. Two 
were injured before Blake could 
snatch up the rifle to kill him. 

At the foot of the long, steep ascent 
to the pass, the exhaustion of the dogs 
forced a halt. The suffering animals 
gulped their frozen fish, buried them- 
selves in the snow. Blake pitched the 
tiny tent, melted water for tea over 
the primus stove, thawed bread and 
dried meat. Hot food revived Jane. 
She and the crippled scientists crept 
into their sleeping bags, in the warm- 
ing beam from the disrupter. 

Blake’s exhausted companions still 
slept when he heard a distant droning, 
saw a dark speck hanging in the south 
above the trail. The plane was drift- 
ing low across the green glaciers, but 
the fingers of the ice did not attack it 
— the ice, he thought, must know it 
for a friend. 



Blake leaped histfhctiv^y to the 
disrupter, cut its output down to one 
kilowatt. But even the weakened 
beam, he realized, left them clearly 
visible. He dared not cut it down any 
farther, for already the green ten- 
tacles were writhing nearer. Piercing 
cold sank into him. 

“It’s Prey," said Lingard, roused. 
“That’s his plane.” 

“I cut down the ray as much as I 
thought safe,’’ said Blake. “But it 
will still give us away.” 

“Better turn it up again," advised 
the little scientist. “We’ll freeze, 
without It. And those green things 
are coming pretty close — they might 
snatch it away." 

Blake increased the output again. 
.Then he tried the mechanism of the 
rifle, found it immovable. 

“Oil frozen,” he muttered. “Ma3rbe 
I can thaw it la the ray.” 

T he plane wheeled above them, 
dived. Above roaring motors 
Blake heard a rattling sound. He saw 
a line of white puffs march across the 
ice, toward the tent. 

“Machine-gun!” Lingard gasped. 
Blake snatched the rifle out of the 
warming beam, tried it again. It 
leaped and roared in his hands. He 
flung it to his shoulder and began fir- 
ing at the plane. 

It passed, rose and wheeled and 
dived again. The ice leaped into 
white spray under the machine-gun. 
Standing upright in the golden beam, 
Blake slipped his extra clips into the 
rifle, fired until the last shot was 
gone. 

“Gun’s empty,” he muttered. “Guess 
we’re finished—” 

Then he saw the bright yellow 
ribbon rip backward from the fusel- 
age. He saw the plane slip aside, dive, 
level, crash against a pinnacle of ice. 
For a little time the tangle of wreck- 
age vras dark. Grey smoke drifted 
out of it. Then a yellow flame was 
mounting. 

“Got it !” he whispered, savagely 
exultant. “Gas tank — and maybe the 
pilot. We can go on, until the others 
come — ” 

He turned then, and his triumph 



THE ICE ENTITY 



97 



gasped and died. Mark Lingard was 
lying on the ice behind him» a bullet 
hole through his bandaged temple. 
Dead. 

Bullets had ripped the top of the 
tent. Quivering with abrupt new ap- 
prehension, Blake flung back the flap, 
peered at Jane. She was very silent. 
He lifted the fur that was frosted 
with her breath, saw her weary face 
peaceful with sleep. 

Blake carried Lingard a little away, 
and left him lying on the snow in his 
furs. He heated food, and then 
wakened Jane. They ate, watching 
the burning plane, while Blake told 
her what had happened. 

“Mark?’* she whispered, white- 
faced. **Dr. Mark dead ! ^And I didn’t 
even wake.” She winced with pain. 

“Don’t mind that,” said Blake. “But 
now h’s up to us." 

He dug the dogs out of the snow. 
Only three remained. Blake got into 
the traces himself, ahead of them, to 
break the way. Jane plodded behind. 

He fell once, and his foot twisted 
under him. As Jane came to help him 
rise, his face was white with agony. 

“We’ll never make it," he gasped 
bitterly, staring at the ragged sum- 
mits ahead, that glowed with unhal- 
lowed life. “We*re mad.” 

But for hours, again, they toiled to- 
ward the pass. Then the gaunt-grey 
malamute, Amber jack, fell dead In the 
harness. Blake cut him out of the 
traces, dragged bis lean body out of 
the way of the sled. His mittened 
hand 'caressed the shaggy, frost- 
crusted head, just once. 

Jane, looking back, gasped and 
called out: 

“Mace! 1 see something-^ooie- 
thing — following !" 

“Couldn’t be,” Blake said. “Noth- 
ing alive — nothing but the ice. Even 
the wolves were all dead or gone, 
months ago.” 

But his blue eyes, searching, found 
the follower. A tiny figure, lonely 
and dark, it was still far out on the 
green-glowing barrens. He bent over 
the sled, found the binoculars. The 
ruddy glow drained out of his face as 
he lifted them; he trembled to a new 
•hill. 



“Frey! It’s Ellet Frey,” he whis- 
pered. “He wasn't killed, when his 
plane fell. He’s walking after us, over 
the ice_. Has face is white, like frozen 
flesh. His eyes are mad, and shining 
green.” He lowered the glasses. “His 
furs are light. I don’t know what 
keeps him from freezing." 

J ANE was quivering, whitefaced. 

“He’s not a man any more.” she 
whispered fearfully. “He’s a fiend — 
a fiend of the ice. The ice did some- 
thing to him, when he was lost in the 
north.” She crept close to Blake. 
“The ice has a mind,” she said appre- 
hensively. “Do you think— do you 
think it could hypnotize, or somehow 
dominate, another mind?” 

Blake tugged at the ice in his red 
beaid. 

'•That must be it,” he said somberly, 
“I’ve been sure of it ever since Wolf 
went mad, with the green of the ice in 
his eyes.” 

Jane was pointing at the rifle. 
“Can you stop him?” 

Blake shook his head. “No am- 
munition.” 

“I’m “afraid, Blake. Afraid!” 

“We must go on,” said Blake. “He 
has no burden, but perhaps we can 
keep ahead.” 

When he turned back to the dogs, 
one was crouching, with a terrible 
green flaming in her eyes. She 
launched herself savagely at his 
throat. He went down under her. 
Only the thickness of his furs kept 
her fangs from his jugular, until 
bis hunting knife had found her 
heart. 

Watching the green die in her glaz- 
ing eyes, he whispered : 

“That was the ice.” 

Now Flash alone was left. Jane 
came silently to take the dead husky’s 
place in the harness. They went on 
up the slope, often looking back. 
Sometimes they couldn’t see the tiny 
lone figure of their pursuer; but when 
thev did, he was always nearer. 

“Do you know what he will do, 
when he catches us?” Jane whispered 
once, when she had looked with the 
binoculars at their gaunt, green-eyed 
Nemesis. “Ha*U stop os first, because 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



he ia a tool of the ice. He will destroy 
the bomb. But he will do more—” 

Her voice hushed; she shuddered. 

Climbing unendingly, at last they 
dragged fte sled into the narrow 
rocky gorge of the pass, and through 
it to the point where they could see 
beyond the range. 

Blake stopped, when he saw the 
machine. Reeling with fatigue, Jane 
dropped to her knees in the snow. 
Behind her, Flash, the last husky, 
gave a short, hoarse bark, and fell 
dead in the harness, of sheer exhaus- 
tion. 

Presently Blake laughed— a bitter, 
short, ironic sound. He limped back 
past the dead dog to the sled, and sat 
down on it. 

**And we came to smash that/” he 
whispered. *'That/ With one little 
bomb!” 

Inert, trembling In the snow, Jane 
Maddon stared at it. A dull, wonder- 
ing horror came slowly into her grey 
eyes. 

Mile upon mile ahead of them, be- 
yond a barren plain of ghostly snow, 
the thing loomed unbelievably gigan- 
tic upon the green, dully shining ice. 
Incredible, colossal, it towered into 
the eternal vacancy of violet twilight. 

Creation of a mind utterly alien to 
human understanding, of a life that 
had in common with human life little 
save the will to live, it was incompre- 
hensible. 

Part of it was black. Part of it was 
metal. Part of it was a machine. 

Blake could grasp that much. But 
the form of it eluded him at the same 
time that it numbed him with shadowy 
horror. It was spidery, grotesque, as 
if it might be constructed of fourth 
dimensional entities. The black, 
colossal parts of it — ^he could find no 
fitting words for them — were silently 
moving. 

Other parts of it, higher, not black, 
not metal, were nothing that could be 
termed mere machine. Their color 
was merely analogous to blue. They 
seemed somehow intangible. In mate- 
rial, shape, and function, they were 
beyOnd the grasp of the human mind. 

The fingers of the ice coiled about 
the thing. Green arms reached up 



from the crested ice-waves of the sur- 
rounding glaciers, as if to move and 
adjust its enigmatic parts. 

Blake had prc»nised himself that 
they would rest in the pass. But they 
waited merely to make tea again, and 
warm a little food. 

“It’s too big,” Jane whispered 
dazedly. “Too big! We can’t do any- 
thing. But we must try.” 

“Try — ” agreed Blake. “Until we 
are dead — ’* 

T hey rose beside the sled. He 
bent to cut Flash out of the traces, 
and they pulled the sled onward. The 
slope now was downward, and it ran 
easily. Limping ahead in the slack 
traces, Blake warmed to a sudden 
hope that was like a steaming drink. 

“We’!! make it, at this rate!” he 
called. *'If we could explode the bomb 
at some vital point, it might put the 
thing out of commission, big as it is.” 
“If we could stop it long enough to 
let the sun shine just a moment,” Jane 
said, **I think that would kill the ice.” 
They had emerged from the narrow 
pass, upon the broad, snow-ewept 
slope that fell toward the machine. In 
marching legions, the phantoms of 
green flame met them. Blake was 
breaking the ^ay. Jane, behind him, 
carried the disrupter. She swung it 
back and forth, and the curling, quest- 
ing tentacles fled from it — and ever 
returned. Green, swirling fingers 
circled the sled, moved with it, struck, 
recoiled, lurked, waited — 

Sometimes Blake looked back, while 
they rested. Once he lowered the 
binoculars with a hand that trembled. 

“I see him,” he said. “Just stalking 
out of the pass. A gaunt, terrible 
giant — with the green of the ice in 
his eyes.” 

They were hastening on when far 
thunder rumbled through the frozen 
summits behind them. Bewildered, 
they paiued to gaze back up the dark, 
rugged slope, that burned with the 
pale, ghostly light of the ice. Blake 
felt Jane’s hand close convulsively 
on his arm. 

“Mace !” she screamed. “The ice — ” 
Already he saw the motion above 
them. A vast green-white wave was 



THE ICE ENTITY 



99 



gathering on the slopes^ It was sweeps 
ing down upon them. 

Then his wild eyes saw the little 
mesa beside them, an age-flattened 
point of black granite. 

“Run!” he screamed to Jane. “If 
we can get on the rocks, there — ” 

Jerking the sled about, they drove 
th^nselves into a lurching run toward 
the safety of the mesa, pistant 
cannon boomed across the glaciers; 
they shattered with crashes like col- 
lapsing cathedrals of glass. The ice 
quivered and rocked beneath them. 

But they were on the slope beneath 
the little black plateau. 

“Come on!” Blake shouted. “We’ll 
make it — ” 

The warm golden light of the dis- 
rupter went out behind him. He 
stopped and whirled and saw thatjane 
had turned out the beam, flung down 
the little cylinder in the snow. Her 
face was queerly white. She had 
paused, with her body straight and 
tense. Her eyes were glittering 
strangely. 

With a frantic desperate haste, 
Blake plunged for the disrupter. It 
was in his hands when Jane sprang 
upon him, savage and silent. Her 
bloodless face was a terrible mask, 
and her grey eyes were shot with a 
green that was like the green of th'e 
ice. 

“Jane!” It was a tortured scream. 
“Jane — ” 

She was fighting for the precious 
tube. He held it from her clawing 
hands, tried to drag her up the rugged 
slope, toward the little table-land. 
They were tangled in the harness of 
the sled. The roar of the avalanche 
was deafening. Blake felt a sudden, 
piercing breath of frigid wind. 

And a monstrous, freezing black 
paw crushed him down into roaring 
dark. 



CHAPTER V 
Ice and Gold 



B lake was floating in a green sea 
and time passed him by like a 
wind. His body was tired ; it was good 



to float so restfully and forget the 
wind of time. Yet some nagging prob- 
lem tugged at his rest, while ages 
roared above. And at last he knew 
the trouble: the green sea was cold. 
It was freezing; green ice was grasp- 
ing his body. 

He battled the hardening frozen 
fingers, and strove to fling himself up 
into the wind of time. For there was 
a task he must do. The world was 
sinking into the green sea — and a girl. 
He alone could lift them back into the 
life of time. 

He fought until something tensed 
in him, something snapped, and sud- 
denly he was wide awake. 

He was lying on the flat point of 
granite that had split the avalanche. 
Numb wrists and aching ankles re- 
fused to move. Hands and feet were 
bound, he saw, with leather themgs cut 
from the dog harness. 

A low groan, shivering, piteous, 
twisted his head. He saw Jane Mad- 
den on the ledge beside him, similarly 
bound. A little of her face was ex- 
posed beneath the parka, blue with 
cold, drawn with pain. 

Beyond her, a little cliff dropped 
from the ledge where they lay, and 
the greenly shimmering slopes fell 
away from it, toward the colossal 
enigma of the machine that bad ex- 
tinguished the sun. 

The girl moved. She was sobbing. 
“Sorry, Mace!” she gasped, bleakly. 
“I couldn’t help it — I couldn’t! The 
ice made me do it — the ice — ” 

“I know,” he whispered. “Don’t you 
worry I” 

Deep relief flooded him, to know 
that she was herself again. 

“Frey?” he breathed. “Frey — ” 

“He came,” she sobbed, “after the 
ice struck us. He dug us out, and tied 
us. I think he’s going to kill us. But 
now he’s digging again.” 

Blake twisted his shivering, stiffen- 
ing body, to look in the other direc- 
tion. Beyond the rocky level he saw 
the pit, where they had been buried in 
the green wave of snow and ice. 

Ellet Frey was in the pit. A hag- 
gard, gaunt, tremendous man. His 
skin, beneath his thin furs, was white 
as if already frozen. Digging at the 



m 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



rubble of snow and broken ice with 
white bare hands he was uncovering 
the sled« He came at the bright steel 
cylinder of the sigma-bomb. 

Blake watc4ied with sinking heart 
as he unscrewed the little brass 
detonator from the bomb, and brought 
it and the empty rifle out of the pit. 
He laid the detonator on a flat rock, 
twenty yards away. Deliberately, with 
an appalling superhuman strength, he 
snapped the stock off the rifle. Grip- 
ping the barrel, he brought the breech 
mechanism down like a hammer on 
the detonator. It exploded sharply 
with a vivid blue flash. 

Despair fell like a leaden hand on 
Blake. That bomb had meant the life 
of mankind. Grimly he had hoped, 
somehow, to escape and use it. But 
without the detonator it was as inert 
and useless as two hundredweight of 
stone. 

Ellet Frey came stalking across the 
little mesa to his two prisoners. His 
bare, craggy face was utterly white. 
His eyes glowed green. He stopped 
on the black rock above them, and a 
dull, strange voice came out of his 
throat. It was like the voice of some 
monstrous thing, Blake thought, roar- 
ing far-off in a fog. 

”Man— ” it whispered thickly. 
*‘Your life — life of warmth and light 
—must die— Cold is conqueror—*' 

The gaunt, gigantic figure pointed 
one stiff white hand into the north. 
Blake looked again down the slope of 
glowing ice. Colossal and incredible 
beneath the eternal violet night, be 
saw again the thing that had put out 
the sun. 

The uncanny voice, strange as the 
aurora whispering through a frozen 
fo& came again: 

‘Tee — reigns — ” 

Green light flamed in the mad eyes 
beyond the frozen mask. It was a mask 
—no longer a human face. And that 
dull, foggy voice was not the voice of 
Ellet Frey. It was the voice of the 
ice. 

If the supernal, dreadful mind of 
the ice could speak to men, could it 
understand them? A sudden, trem- 
bling seized Blake's big body. If his 
mind could meet the mind of the ice. 



through this thing that had been 
Ellet Prey, then here was a way to 
attack. 

T he voice was saying, “Man- 
must die—’* 

Blake jerked his head toward Jane. 
“Maybe he must!” he said, in a low, 
swift whisper. “But Frey didn’t find 
the disrupter. It’s still buried beneath 
the ice. And when I saw that the 
avalanche would overtake us I set it 
like a time bomb. It will go off after 
half an hour. Eight ounces of 
activated gold — ” 

“What!” the girl gasped with as- 
tonished wonder. ‘T didn’t—’’ 
“Hushl” whispered Blake. “He 
mustn’t hear — ^might smash it — ’* 

But the green fire had already 
flamed up in the hollow eyes of Ellet 
Frey, like dreadful panic burning. 
The gaunt tremendous figure whirled, 
ran back into the pit. Furiously, bare 
white hands dug into ice and snow. 

Blake’s hope trembled before sud- 
den fear. Could the ice match his 
cunning with cunning enough to sus- 
pect? Or could its strange mind read 
man’s mind? He must cany on. 

“I didn’t tell you,” he told Jane. 
“We must escape before it explodes. 
Any minute—” 

He writhed toward her, tugged with 
his teeth at her binding thongs. The 
frozen leather seemed hard as iron. 
His teeth ached to the chill. The 
knots were drawn tight; he accom- 
plished nothing — 

“He has it!” Jane’s voice was sud- 
den, fearful. “He’s bringing it out of 
the pit!” 

Striving to conceal his elation, 
Blake glanced at the giant form stalk- 
ing with the little tube to the rock 
where he had smashed the detonator. 

“Can’t manage the knots,” he gasped. 
“Got to go over the ledge. Any 
second now—” 

“I can’t—” Jane sobbed faintly, 
“Can’t move—” 

Blake caught her frozen furs in 
his teeth; writhing, he inched his way 
toward the ledge, dragged her beside 
him. Behind him, with the lifeless 
precision with which a robot might 
move, the tall haggard thing laid the 



THE ICE ENTITY 



m 



tube on a vocic, and lifted the barrel 
of the broken rifle above it. 

In the last, frantic instant, Blake 
flung himself off the ledge, dragging 
Jane after him with his teeth. They 
slipped twenty feet down the face of 
the little cliff, into deep soft snow 
that buried them. 

‘‘Shut your eyes V* Blake whispered 
urgently against the smothering snow. 
“Cover your face. Or the explosion 
might blind you — ** 

The universe turned into golden 
flame. Blake thrust his head deeper in 
the snow, pushed the fur parka down 
over his eyes. He tried to twist his 
body to shelter Jane’s head. 

Even through snow and fur and 
eyelids, the light came in a merciless, 
penetrating flood. Sudden heat was in 
the air, for an instant grateful, then 
terrible. The air was too hot to 
breathe. The snow melted above them. 
Water drenched them, cold at first, 
then steaming. 

An eternity of flaming agony that 
slowly grew tolerable. 

And a time came when they could 
uncover their eyes and sit up at the 
foot of the little cliff that had shel- 
tered them. For many yards the snow 
was gone, the rocks hot and dry. 

Bewildered, Jane asked faintly, 
“What happened?” 



“There was no other way,” Blake 
muttered. “I couldn’t move; it was 
my mind against the mind of the ioc. 
And I think I had a right to do it, 
after what the ice did to you. It was 
just, anyhow, that the human slave of 
the ice should destroy it.” 

“But what did you do?” 

“I said that the disrupter was a 
bomb,” said Blake. “I made Frey 
smash it. And when he smashed the 
tau-ray tube it left eight ounces of 
gold free to disintegrate at the full 
rate — half the atoms breaking down 
every fifty-nine seconds. 

“I think the radiation wasn’t good 
for the ice.” 

Anxiously, his streaming, half-blind 
eyes were peering into the north. 
Glaciers and snowfields were grey 
and white: the green of alien sen- 
tience was gone. The green streamers 
of flame no longer tended the fan- 
tastic machine. 

“See !” Blake breathed exultantly. 
“That break in the rh3rthm of its 
motion! The ice is dead, and the 
machine is running wild — ” 

The hot rocks shivered abruptly. 
Roar of /terrific grinding crashes came 
rolling up the slope. And suddenly 
the incomprehensible upner parts of 
the thing, looming so monstrously 
[Turn Page] 



WHAT IS yOUR SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE? 

Test Yourself by This Questionnaire 

1 — To what geologic ages doe« the stegosanr belong? 

2 — Which came first, the Archeozoic era or. the Cenozoic? 

3— What does Eddington say about the expanding universe? 

4 — What are some of the raw elements that compose protoplasm? 

5 — Can an organism survive in its own waste? 

6— Is anything in the Universe fixed or permanent? Why? 

7 — How do mushrooms and fungi reproduce? 

8 — Approxhnately how long would it take for radium to use up half of its bulk 

by self-disintegration? 

9^Has ordinary sunlight an actinic radiation? 

(A Guide to the Answexa will be found on Page 128} 



102 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



against the violet sky, seemed to twist 
and crumple. They vanished in a 
blinding flicker of colorless energy. 

T he violet sky brightened, then, 
into the hazy blue of an arctic 
day. A flood of rosy light washed the 
slope below. 

“The sun!’* Jane was sobbing with 
hysterical joy. 'Tt’s the sun I” 

Wet from the melting snow, their 
leather bonds stretched. Blake 
slipped his hands free, untied himself 
and Jane. Though the low sun still 
burned through the mists on the 
horizon, the air grew cold again as 
the atomic flame died. Stiff and weary, 
they climbed back to the little mesa. 

Where Prey had laid the disrupter 
to smash it a ten-foot pool of molten 
rock still glowed dull red. Creeping 
up to its grateful heat, Blake saw that 
the black rock beyond was smeared 
with the white lime from an inciner- 
ated skeleton. 

“Frey,” he said, “must have died 
instantly.** 

“1 think that he died days ago, when 
he was lost on the ice." Jane shud- 
dered. *T think the fee had stolen 
his body—” 



That gaunt, green-eyed, frozen 
mask came back to Blake like a 
haunting thing. He shut his eyes. His 
bearded face twitched. Seeing his 
pain, Jane said hastily: 

“I’m sorry the disrupter is ruined. 
Can you build another, Mace?” 

“Not here,” he said gloomily. 
“Guess we*re finished, Jane. We’re 
lost here, without much food, or any 
way to travel. We can keep alive till 
the rock gets cold—” 

His voice ended abruptly. He stared 
into the south, away from the colossal 
ruin of the black machine. The dull 
saffron sun hung low in the mist above 
the ice-clad range. 

“There!” Jane cried joyously. 
“Look!” The music of motors grew 
louder and louder. “It’s the army 
planes that followed Frey. They must 
have seen the light when your tube 
exploded. 

“They see us, already! They’ll take 
US back — ’* 

Then she was in Blake’s arms. 
Looking into her wide grey eyes, so 
near, Blake saw little gleams of green 
—like the green of the ice. Had they 
been there always? Or — 

He shivered, and kissed her. 



MIGRATION 

INTO SPACE 

in ^ 

A Complete Novelette 
of World Conquest 

The ASTOUNDING 
EXODUS 

By NEIL R. JONES 

in the next issue 





Tlie 

WORLD 



Author oi “Black Passage" “Death 
Rides the Plateau," etc. 



J IMMY BLANE stopped his car, 
switched off the lights and 
paced to the do^r of the brown- 
stone building. It was a huge many- 
windowed house of antique architec- 
ture, and the brass plate under the 
post box said: PROFESSOR SCOT 
HILLIARD. 

Blane pushed the bell button, took 
a last puff at his cigarette and Hung 
the butt over his shoulder. 

“Sick of these Sunday supplement 
assignments,” he muttered to himself. 
“They’re all dry as dust. Wonder if 
McGraw’ll ever give ^ and let ihe 
have the police run.” ♦ 

Presently heavy steps sounded 
within. A latch rasped and the door 
was thrown wide. 

A huge, bulking figure stared out 
at the reporter. The man was dark- 
haired with a ragged, unkempt beard 
and thick-rimmed spectacles. An 
acid-stained rubber apron hung from 

103 



Blane looked at the prebistorie monwter 



BOX 

Jirrmy Blane Battles Strange 
Reptiles of a Forgotten 
Prehistoric Era on a 
Man-Made Earth 

By CARL JACOBI 




104 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



his chest to his shoes, accentuating 
his height, and a green eye>shade was 
pushed far back on his forehead. 

“Professor Hilliard?” Jimmy asked. 

“ Yes.” 

“My name is Blane— of the Sf«r- 
Telegram. I came in regard to an ad- 
dress you made before the Gotham 
Science Club, an address in which you 
declared you could reproduce in liv- 
ing miniature the prehistoric life of 
the earth. The University science 
staff has denounced your assertions as 
being false in every detail. Could I 
have a statement from you, please?” 

For a long moment Scot Hilliard 
made no answer. Then he shrugged, 
curled his lips and nodded scornfully. 

“Come in.” 

Jimmy followed the man into the 
entrance way and from there up a 
flight of stairs. At the second level he 
halted before a large double door that 
opened on the right, hesitated, and 
whirled abruptly. 

“If I grant you this interview,” he 
said, “I must insist you write only 
the facts as I give them to you. I'll 
show you my invention, yes, but I’m 
not interested in having it introduced 
to the general public in a sensational 
manner, colored by idiotic journalism. 
Understand?” 

Blane nodded. The door swung 
open, and he passed into a brilliantly 
illuminated room. Two feet over the 
sill he stopped short, turning his eyes 
slowly about him. 

T he chamber was a huge labora- 
tory, occupying apparently the 
full width of the house. From ceiling 
to floor the walls were lined with 
shelves, jammed with vials, tubes and 
glasses. Strange-looking apparatus 
glittered on all sides. The center floor 
was occupied by an enormous square- 
shaped object, fully fifteen feet 
across, its nature hidden by a loosely 
draped canvas. 

But there was something else that 
stopped Blane’s roving gaze and held 
it while his heart thumped a little 
faster. Directly across from the door, 
bent over a zinc-topped table, stood a 
young girl. A girl with a satin com- 
plexion, black, lustrous hair and large. 



brown eyes. Even in the dark-colored 
smock, with her hands swathed in 
heavy rubber gloves, she was a vision 
of feminine loveliness. 

Hilliard slid a stubby briar pipe be- 
tween his lips and waved his arm 
stiflly in introduction. 

“My niece. Eve Manning,” he said. 
“Mr. Blane is from the press. He’s 
come to ask me about my invention.” 

A frown furrowed across the girl’s 
face as she heard these words. Her 
eyes narrowed. 

“But Uncle,” she protested, “you’re 
not going to demonstrate that ma- 
chine tonight! You haven’t tested it 
yet. you know, and something might 
happen.” 

Hilliard smiled and patted her hand. 
“No danger,” he said easily. “Mr. 
Blane is just the type of witness I’ve 
been waiting for, and ever 3 rthing is in 
readiness.” He turned again to the 
reporter. "Your hat and coat, please, 
and make yourself comfortable while 
I get you a pair of colored sun glasses. 
I’m using a new kind of magno car- 
bon arc, and the glare might injure 
your eyes ” 

He shoved a chair forward, turned 
and disappeared through a connecting 
doorway. Jimmy 4at down and looked 
at the girl. 

She was even prettier than fi*^t 
glance had showed. There were at- 
tractive dimples on either side of the 
mouth, and the mouth itself was a 
delicate carmine bow with just the 
right touch of cosmetics. For a mo- 
ment she stood there, answering his 
gaze silently. Then, darting a look 
over her shoulder, she stepped closer 
and spoke in a low, hurried whisper, 

“Mr. Blane,” she said, “you must 
leave here at once. Now, before my 
uncle returns. I’ll tell him you were 
suddenly called away on another mat- 
ter. I'll tell him you were — ” 

“Go?” Jimmy stared at her curi- 
ously. “Why, I’ve just come. Why on 
earth should I go?” 

“You must go, I tell you. You’re 
in great danger. Greater danger than 
you possibly could imagine. Uncle 
has been holding off his experiment 
until he found a man of your type. A 
young and athletic man. If you stay 



THE WORLD IN A BOX 



105 



here you may never leave this labora- 
tory. Oh, I know all this sounds mad, 
senseless, but please believe me.” 
Jimmy crossed his legs and glanced 
thoughtfully at the array of equip- 
ment surrounding him. A long inter- 
val passed while he groped for words 
to answer the girl. 

“I’m a reporter/’ he said at length. 
“I came merely to interview the pro- 
fessor, and I fail to see bow any 
danger — ” 

The door slammed at the far end of 
the laboratory, interrupting further 
conversation, and Hilliard returned to 
the room. Striding to a switch-box on 
the near wall, the man made a careful 
adjustment to its contents, then 
crossed over to a chair opposite the 
reporter. In his hands were several 
pairs of green spectacles. 

ffHJLANE,” he said slowly, “I 
Mm presume, since you were 
sent here to interview me, you know 
something of geology, something of 
the ancient rock-preserved history of 
the earth?” 

Jimmy nodded, drawing forth pen- 
cil and paper. “I spent two years on 
the subject at Boston Tech,” he re- 
plied. “But I’ve probably fygotten 
as much as I ever learned.” ‘ 

“You are acquainted with the divi- 
sions of time into which prehistoric 
world history has been divided, the 
Archeozoic era to the Cenozoic era?” 
Jimmy nodded again. 

“And which of those eras or periods 
strikes you as the most interesting, 
the most dramatic? Which one, if 
it were possible for you to pass back 
through the millions of years, would 
you choose to view with your own 
eyes?” 

For an instant the reporter hesi- 
tated. Hilliard sat there far forward 
in his chair, eyes glittering with craft, 
determination. There were power and 
mental strength in that bearded face. 
And there was something else that 
brought a little chill coursing down 
the young man’s spine. 

“The Mesozoic, I guess,” he an- 
swered. “What is more commonly 
known as the Age of Reptiles. I’ve 
always thought it would be an impres- 



sive sight to see those prehistoric 
monsters roaming about the scenery. 
Dinosaurs and pterodactyls, lizards as 
big as a house, and flying dragons.” 

Hilliard nodded in satisfaction, 
then leaped to bis feet and strode to 
the square-shaped object in the center 
of the room. With a single movement 
of his massive hands he flung back the 
canvas covering and motioned the re- 
porter closer. 

Momentarily Jimmy’s eyes were 
confused by a glaring light th^ 
burned before him. Then his eyes ac- 
customed themselves to the blinding 
illumination, and he saw the object 
that housed the light. It was a glass- 
walled box, not unlike an ordinary 
showcase, save that the sides were of 
great thickness and the corners were 
fastened together with plates of 
riveted brass. 

The light came from the middle of 
the case. At the near end, hanging in 
mid-air without support, was an ob- 
ject that looked like a small ball of 
clay. Extending from the right ex- 
terior wall of the case was a black 
instrument panel, replete with dials, 
queer-shaped tubes and several 
switches. 

Hilliard pointed into the interior. 
“Blane,” he said, “you are looking at 
an experiment that has been my work, 
my sole work, for almost five years. 
When I was still a member of the 
University faculty I postulated such 
a machine as this to my immediate 
superiors. They laughed at me, said 
I was an eccentric dreamy fool and 
that it v/ould never work. 

“The inside of this case is an abso- 
lute vacuum, the nearest parallel to 
the phenomenon of outer stellar 
space. In the center you see a magno 
carbon arc, suspended by a slender 
wire and giving off an intense amount 
of heat as well as light. Here at this 
end is a very small globe. Together 
the two objects represent a portion of 
the solar system, a diminutive cross- 
section of a tiny part of our universe. 

“The space between the arc and the 
globe is the ninety-three millions of 
miles which separate our earth from 
the sun, lessened to a few feet. The 
diameter of the globe is the diameter 



•106 



thrilling wonder ST05HES 



of our planet, reduced in pjroper ratio 
from over eight thousand miles. In 
short, you are looking at the manu- 
factured equivalent of our sun and our 
earth on a dwarfed scale. Do you 
understand, Blane? A miniature sun 
and a miniature earth! Watch 
closely!” 

T he man’s hand slid downward, 
pushed a large switch into con- 
toet. Instantly there was a thunder- 
ing roar and a pulsing vibration under 
the floor. The roar died away as the 
globe within the glass case trembled 
violently. Then it began to rotate 
faster and faster, moved and sup- 
ported by some unseen power. Slow- 
ly it approached the arc in the center. 

There was a note of suppressed ex- 
citement in the professor’s voice as he 
continued. 

“The globe is now rotating on its 
axis and moving in an orbit around 
the arc, which constitutes its sun. The 
axis, just like the axis of the earth, is 
inclined to the plane of the orbit. 
That globe is now a living, growing 
world!” 

With rising interest Jimmy 
squinted through the sun spectacles. 
He was thinking of the strange warn- 
ing given him by the girl. 

“A growing world?*’ he repeated 
slowly. 

Hilliard nodded. 

“But there are a hundred other 
things necessary to a planet’s growth 
which you could never manufacture,” 
Jimmy protested. “Things beyond 
your power, things — ** 

*^Storms, wind erosion, climatic 
changes, volcanic upthrusts?” Hill- 
iard shook his head. “All has been 
taken care of. The globe is igneous, 
volcanic in nature, carefully made of 
powerful gases and molten rock, 
which will create an atmosphere. It 
is now in the first stages of the Arche- 
ozoic age, the beginning of a world. 
In a short time warm seas will form at 
the globe’s equatorial zones. Early 
single-celled life will live and die on 
a microscopic scale in a matter of 
seconds. The lowest type of jelly fish 
will give way to the higher forms of 
moliusks, arthropoids, and so to the 



amphibians. By nine o’clock, if my 
calculations are correct, the globe 
will have passed through the Protero- 
zoic era and the Paleozoic era. By 
nine fifteen it will be far advanced 
into the Mesozoic.” 

“You mean,” interposed Jimmy, his 
eyes wide with amazement now, “that 
the globe will develop life? You 
mean that there will be plants, trees, 
reptiles — living creatures?” 

Hilliard nodded. “On a minute mi- 
croscopic scale, that is exactly what I 
mean,” he said. 

He seized a dial on the instrument 
panel and twisted it to its farthest 
marking. Beneath Blane’s eyes the 
globe leaped into faster motion, 
changed from a crystal clear object 
slowly passing about the arc-sun to a 
blur of light. Each revolution in the 
orbit constituted one year, and the 
decades and centuries were dropping 
into the discard like grains of falling 
sand. 

For d moment Scot Hilliard 
watched the process intently. Then 
he jerked erect. 

“With the globe moving as fast as 
it is,” he said, “it is impossible to 
study its surface without the aid of a 
Specially designed rotating micro- 
scope. I have one in my other labora- 
tory. One moment.” 

He went out, closing the door be- 
hind him. Silence swept into the 
white-ceilinged room, Jimmy stood 
there, staring at the glass case, 
frowning. It wasn’t possible, this 
mad story he had heard. One man 
claiming he could reproduce in a few 
moments what nature had taken mil- 
lions of years to accomplish. The re- 
porter looked up as Eve Manning laid 
a hand on his shoulder. 

“Will you go now?” she asked, a 
note of dread in her voice. “You have 
all the information necessary for your 
newspaper, and you can leave before 
Uncle returns. Please.” 

J IMMY studied the pretty face de- 
liberately. 

“Just what,” he asked, “are you 
driving at?” 

Her cheeks were ashen, her fingers 
tremblings 



THE WORLD IN A BOX 



107 



“Listen,” she said. “It’s not the 
geologic development of that little 
globe that Uncle is interested in 
alone. It’s something bigger, more 
dreadful, more horrible. 

“He wants to see bow man, civilized 
man of this age and generation, would 
act if he were suddenly thrown back 
to the Mesozoic age, the time of pre- 
historic reptiles. He wants to see if 
man’s brain would protect him against 
the hideous dangers which would 
then siu^round him.” 

“He wants what?” repeated Jimmy 
blankly. 

“Oh, don’t you understand, Mr. 
Blane? If you stay here, Uncle will 
use you for this experiment. He’ll put 
you on that little world in the glass 
case. He’ll insert you on that mini- 
ature planet and watch you through 
his microscope as if you were a worm 
or an insect.” 

The Telegram reporter burst forth 
in a harsh, dry laugh. “You’re talk- 
ing riddles. I could drop that globe 
in my pocket.” 

She looked at him quietly for a mo- 
ment, then turned and led the way to 
a far comer of the laboratory. There 
she pointed a shaking finger to a large 
cabinet affair fashioned of sheet metal 
with an ordinary door at one side. At 
the front a flexible conelike projector 
tapered to a needlepoint. 

“That,” she said hoarsely, “is a size 
reducer. Uncle calls it something dif- 
ferent, something scientific. But it 
too is his own invention. Once in it 
and the power turned on, a full-grown 
dog will emerge a creature of micro- 
scopic size, so small our most power- 
ful glass is barely able to detect it. It 
will act the same with a man, with a 
human being. Uncle—” 

Her words died off, and she stared 
past Jimmy, eyes suddenly wide with 
terror. 

The reporter whirled. And what he 
saw made his heart skip a beat. Five 
feet away, swaying sardonically on the 
balls of his feet, stood Scot Hilliard. 
The man’s face had lost its friendly 
smile now. It was contorted into a 
leer of fanaticism, grotesque with 
craft and cruelty. In his right hand 
was a leveled revolver. 



“Since my niece has so inadvisedly 
told you of my plans,” he said, “I need 
go into no further explanation. Blane, 
pace slowly backward, open the door 
of that cabinet and stand on the center 
of the contact platform inside.” 

Rigid, the reporter stared at the 
man. “You’re crazy,” he said. “Put 
down that gun.” 

“Uncle!” cried Eve. “You’re mad.” 

Hilliard’s black eyes narrowed to 
thin crescents. 

“Back into that cabinet,” he said 
again, “or I fire.” 

Jimmy’s heart was racing now as he 
shot a look about him, searching for 
a way of escape. Suddenly he leaped 
forward and slammed his fist hard 
against the professor’s arm. The auto- 
matic clattered to the floor, and the 
man reeled backward in fury. 

An instant later the reporter was 
trading blow for blow, fighting with 
grim desperation. He used hts fists 
with boxing skill, weaving slowly to 
the side in an attempt to reach the 
door. 

“Fool!” roared Hilliard. “Don’t you 
realize the chance ot a lifetime is be- 
fore you? I’m offering you the great- 
est adventure conceivable to man. And 
you fight to avoid it. Stupid fool !” 

“In the interests of science, eh?” 
Jimmy panted. “Experiment on your- 
self if you want to, I’m—” 

He seized an opportunity, shot 
forth two triphammer blows, slipped 
past the man, and raced across the 
floor of the laboratory. Five feet, ten 
feet, to the edge of the door, he ran. 
Then Hilliard, recovering his breath, 
jerked his hand to the zinc table and 
seized a heavy iron-handled spatula. 
He took instant aim and threw the in- 
strument with all the force of his 
gaunt arm. 

Jimmy had the door ripped open 
when the spatula struck. The ceiling 
seemeo to crash downward upon his 
head. Colored lights whirled in his 
vision. For an instant he stood there, 
reeling. Then with a low moan he 
sank to the floor. 

W HEN he awoke he was outside 
in the open air, and it was 
broad daylight. Sharp pains pulsed 



108 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



through the back of his head. His 
eyes were blurred, his brain confused, 
seeking to place in their proper order 
the events that had happened the 
night before. 

He staggered to his feet unsteadily, 
took a step forward, then stopped 
with a short ery of amazement. A 
strange scene lay about him. He was 
in the midst of a fantastic world, an 
impossible world crowded with weird 
shapes and objects. Great palmlike 
trees, forty to sixty feet high, with 
great bushlike upper portions and 
curious scaled trunks, walled in the 
glade in which he stood. Enormous 
f^erns, their stalks fat and dripping 
with overnourishraent, formed an un- 
dulating carpet that stretched to a 
wavering horizon. 

To the left a reed-choked stream 
sent its oily water winding sluggishly 
between banks that were livid with 
white fungi and tangled yellow vines. 
And beyond the stream rose a jungle 
of growth, dark green, damp and for- 
bidding. 

Jimmy stood there, unable to be- 
lieve his eyes. He walked forward, 
dipped his hand mechanically into the 
tepid water. He ran his hand over the 
woody frond of one of the ferns, drew 
it away, staring blankly. 

Where was he? What had hap- 
pened? The growth which pressed 
close about him on three sides was 
;;i^her tropical nor subtropical. It 
was not the growth he was accus- 
tomed to nor that which he knew 
abounded in latitudes farther south. 
It was not of his world. And yet in 
spite of the utter strangeness of it all, 
in spite of the nightmarish dimen- 
sions and coloring, a faint chord of 
familiarity sounded far back in his 
mind. 

For a moment he stood there, bewil- 
dered. Then like a knife thrust a 
thought came to him. 

Back at Boston Tech In his senior 
year in historical geology he had built 
just such a landscape on a miniature 
scale. He had constructed a reproduc- 
tion of this very vegetation, using bits 
of colored sponges, straw and plaster 
of Paris and the illustrations in his 
text books for models. His lips tight- 



ened slowly at the memory of that 
work and the more recent words of 
Professor Hilliard. 

Horrible and impossible a realiza- 
tion as it was, he understood now. He 
was on the manufactured world in 
Hilliard’s glass case in the laboratory. 
He was a creature of microscopic size 
on a miniature man-made planet that 
revolved about a carbon arc instead of 
a sun. He was back millions of years 
in the midst of the Mesozoic age, the 
only man on a synthetic earth. 

And somewhere up there in the sky, 
far beyond his range of vision, a 
colossal figure would be watching his 
every movement through a gigantic 
magnifying glass, while every mo- 
ment in that world of his would con- 
stitute hours, days for him here. 

For ten minutes Jimmy Blane stood 
there thinking. He was a castaway on 
a hideous land, surrounded he knew 
only too well by hideous dangers. Yet 
somehow he (^d not wish to die. He 
was young, and life was sweet. He 
vranted to live. 

E shaded his eyes and scanned 
the horizon. To the west the 
lai^d seemed higher and dryer, leading 
off to a sort of tableland, marked by 
only an occasional ^ clump of trees. 
Without knowing why the reporter 
scrambled up a little limestone ac- 
clivity and began walking in that di- 
rection. A hundred thoughts were 
whirling through his brain. He must 
find water, fresh water, and he must 
find food and a place to sleep. 

And yet as he walked, he found 
himself unconsciously examining the 
curious growths around him, cata- 
loguing them as the memory of his 
college studies slowly returned. 

Here was the flora of a young world, 
vegetation in the early stages of de- 
velopment. Here were Thallo^hyta, 
Bryophyta, Pteriodoph5rta, cycads 
and conifers, curious bushy trees with 
stunted trunks, ferns of gigantic size, 
flaccid vines that spread their entan- 
glement ever5Twhere. But presently 
the jungle was left behind, and he 
emerged into the plain. There was 
no wind. The air was hot, lifeless, the 
sky above faintly blue, and the sun. 




THE WORLD IN A SPX 



109 



now at its zenith, gleamed like a flat, 
white ball. 

On and on he walked. The grass be- 
neath his feet was thick and long. It 
rustled like silk, leaving the marks of 
his shoes clearly defined behind him. 
Ahead he saw that the plain was slow- 
ly descending again, leading into a 
lower swamp area that looked gloomy 
and forbidding. 

Although as yet he had seen only 
botanical growths, Jimmy knew he 
was in a world teeming with life, life 
of strange forms and varieties. Yet 
had he been in the Proterozoic era, 
millions of years earlier, he could not 
have been more alone. Reptiles held 
sway now. It would be eons before 
the lowest type of ape would be born. 
Eons more before man would be cre- 
ated. Millions of years before some 
Babylon would raise its temples to the 
sky, before an Egypt would take form 
in a Sahara. 

He had been walking in a dazf, pac- 
ing mechanically while he lived with 
his thoughts. Now suddenly his men- 
tal train was swept away, and he 
stopped rigid, staring like a wooden 
image. 

Twenty yards away a nightmare ob- 
ject had suddenly risen upbeforehim, 
emerging from behind a clump of 
trees. Forty feet from head to tip of 
tail, it stood there staring at him with 
gleaming eyes. Jimmy’s heart leaped 
to his throat. The thing looked like 
a horribly malformed lizard, in- 
creased in size a thousand times. The 
head was small with a gaping slit for 
a mouth. A double row of great bony 
plates extended along the back and 
down the -tail. It was a stegosaur, the 
great armored dinosaur of the Juras- 
sic and Cretaceous, the colossal her- 
bivorous reptile of a prehistoric age. 

For a moment Jimmy stood riveted 
to the spot. He could hear the thing’s 
gasping, sucking inhalations of 
breath, and he could feel the ground 
tremble as it moved ponderously to- 
ward him. 

Then, smothering a cry, the report- 
er turned and ran, ran blindly toward 
the nearest reaches of the marsh. 
Down the slope and into the foul ooze 
he raced, plunging through the thick 



water and into the dripping foliage. 
Insects swarmed about him in sting- 
ing hordes. Beneath his feet fat 
squirmy lengths of black horror wrig- 
gled to safety. Something ripped 
through his trouser leg, gashed 
through the flesh to the bone. Two 
crocodiles, twice the length Of the 
modern gavial crocodile, came at him, 
white jaws agape. 

He escaped them and plunged on. 
Not until he was far in the depths of 
the poisonous swamp did he stop. 
Then in a state of near exhaustion he 
climbed partway up a dead tree, flung 
his body over a wide limb and waited 
to regain his breath. 

I T was twilight before he at last 
fought his way Out of the marsh. 
The sun was sinking in the west, and 
a starless sky above was slowly dark- 
ening. It seemed strange, inconceiv- 
able that that stin was but a manufac- 
tured magno carbon arc suspended 
from the roof of a glass case by a 
piece of wire. It was hard for Jimmy 
to realize that this vast world sur- 
roimding him was a globe so small it 
could be dropped an}rwhere in the 
streets of his own city without at- 
tracting the slightest notice. 

He was in open country again. De- 
spair was in his heart as he stood gaz- 
ing. As i«r as he could see from an 
elevated ridge it was all that same 
wild, virgin, fantastic country. No 
distant sail, no thin streamer of 
smoke, no sign of habitation of any 
kind. He was alone, utterly alone in 
an alien world. 

Pangs of hunger and a sudden feel- 
ing of thirst sent him out of his brood- 
ing presently. He appeased the latter 
with long draughts from a clear 
spring that bubbled out of a Assure in 
the rock almost at his feet. Then, de- 
scending to the shore, he managed to 
find several species of mollusks which 
seemed edible. They were typical 
Mesozoic pelecypods, fossils of which 
he had studied in his student days. 
He gulped them down with repug- 
nance, then hurried into the forest in 
search of dry wood and tinder. 

The matches in his pocket were un- 
harmed. He heaped several stones in 



no 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



a circle, forming a crude fireplace, 
shielded from the wind. Carefully he 
ignited the twigs. 

And so Jimmy huddled close to his 
growing blaze and tried to convince 
himself that he was still in the midst 
of some wild dream from which he 
would rise shortly to laugh at his 
fears. But he knew it was no dream. 
The very sky above attested to that. 

Black as velvet without a single ray 
of light, it engulfed him on all sides. 
There was no moon, no stars, for the 
simple reason that Professor Hilliard 
had created no moon and no stars. He 
had placed in his glass case but two 
bodies, this world and the artificial 
sun. And that sun was now bestowing 
its light and heat to another hemi- 
sphere. 

At length bewilderment and sheer 
exhaustion overcame him, and he fell 
into a troubled sleep. 

It was dawn when he awoke. The 
sea glinted like hammered silver, and 
the air was growing warm and humid 
again. Jimmy waded out into the surf, 
dashed water on his face and hands. 
Then, considerably refreshed, he re- 
turned to the beach and took stock of 
his surroundings. 

Before another day had passed he 
would have to provide himself with 
weapons for hunting and for defense. 
He would have to explore the immedi- 
ate district and find or erect a shelter 
that would give him protection from 
the elements and all dangers. The 
thought occurred to him that if he 
could climb to the summit of some 
mountain he might cast himself in 
bolder relief and beg the professor 
that he be returned to his own world. 

In the eastern sky the sun still hung 
just above the horizon line. It seemed 
stationary, and the reporter found 
himself watching it curiously. 

At intervals, all during the time he 
again searched the shore for more 
mollusks, he stared at it, wondering if 
his eyes were playing him tricks. Un- 
less Hilliard for some unknown rea- 
son had slowed down the globe’s ro- 
tating speed, that sun should be con- 
siderably higher in the artificial sky 
by now. 

Then suddenly it happened. 



A HUGE elongated shadow shot 
down from above, darkening the 
heavens, spreading an eclipselike 
gloom over the landscape. From some- 
where in the invisible reaches of the 
sky there came a droning roar like the 
continuation of a hundred thunders. 
And then a vast cone-shaped object 
slanted down from the heights. It was 
a funnel-like steel tube, so large it 
seemed to cover the whole sky. Half a 
mile away its smaller end came to rest 
on a low hillock. 

For several minutes while the colos- 
sal thing hung there motionless, 
Jimmy stood by the yrater’s edge, un- 
able to believe his eyes. Then with 
incredible rapidity the thing shot up- 
ward again, faded to a blur in the 
heavens and disappeared. 

But at its contact point with the 
distant hillock something had been 
left behind, something that moved, 
that turned and began to run in the 
direction of the reporter. 

With a shout Jimmy flung down his 
mollusks and raced toward it. Even 
at that distance with the light of the 
day only half risen, he saw that it was 
the figure of a girl, and he guessed 
rather than knew who that girl was. 

They met in a little glade, a hun- 
dred yards from the shore. Breathless, 
puzzled, Jimmy looked at her, 
stretched forth his hand, 

“Eve!” he cried. “Miss Manning I 
How did you get here? What has 
happened?” 

She cast a quick glance at the fan- 
tastic growths about her, moved for- 
ward and smiled tremulously. 

“I couldn’t let you stay here, 
marooned on this world, without try- 
ing to help,” she said. “I kTJew if I 
followed, Uncle would forget this 
mad experiment and do everything to 
bring me back. If we’re together, it 
would mean your return too.” 

“But — but I don’t understand,” 
Jimmy stammered. "How could 
you — ” 

“The size-reducing machine was 
still connected with the glass case 
when Uncle left the laboratory a mo- 
ment,” she told him. “I’d seen how 
he worked the apparatus, how he 
Stopped the revolutions of the little 



THE WORLD XN A BOX 



111 



globe in its orbit around the sun, how 
he adjusted the projector of the size 
machine to rotate at the same speed 
as the globe on its axis, and how he 
controlled that projector to touch the 
surface of the globe at a certain spot. 
I simply set the automatic controls, 
slipped into the machine’s cabinet, 
and closed the door.” 

For an hour after that they stood 
there in the little glade discussing the 
situation. Quickly the reporter told 
her of the strange life that surround- 
ed them, of the long day before and 
the subsequent night. 

As she listened, the girl’s eyes grew 
wide with amazement. 

“But scarcely two minutes passed,” 
she said, “from the time you were 
placed here to the time I followed. It 
doesn’t seem possible.” 

They walked down the beach to the 
site of Jimmy’s camp fire. To the 
east the sun was moving again, lifting 
from the horizon in its journey across 
the sky. 

With Eve watching him half in 
tragic curiosity, half in amusement, 
the reporter placed several flat-topped 
stones in the glowing coals and pro- 
ceeded to bake the oysterlike varieties 
he had found along the shore. 

Jimmy was jubilant now. “All we 
have to do,” he told her, “is wait until 
your uncle drops his projector down 
from the sky, rescues us and returns 
us to the laboratory. Man, what a 
yarn I’ll have to write when I get back 
to the office! McGraw — he’s city 

editor — ^will think I’ve been smoking 
opium.” 

S HE smiled with him, then sud- 
denly grew serious. “It may not 
be as simple as all that,” she said, 
frowning slowly. “Uncle may not 
miss me for a long time. He hasn't 
the slightest idea of what I’ve done, 
and until he sights the two of us here 
through his microscope, nothing will 
happen. Ten minutes of his time, you 
must remember, will constitute many 
days and nights for us here.” 

It was true. Blane sobered and fell 
quiet. “You shouldn’t have come»” he 
said at length. 



Several times while they sat there a 
huge gleaming body appeared at the 
surface far out in the sea, twisting and 
turning, showing a giant snakelike 
head. 

“Mosasaur,” the reporter said quiet- 
ly as Eve stared at it with horror. 
“Marine reptile. Carnivorous too. It 
shows definitely we’re in the latter 
portion of the Mesozoic. Lower Creta- 
ceous probably. But I don’t think it 
will come any closer inshore.” 

Huge repulsive-looking birds 
passed high over their heads from 
time to time, buC did not trouble them. 

All had jaws with sharp teeth, and 
as the reporter said, probably be- 
longed to the Ichthyomis order. 

Noon came and passed with no sign 
of the projector. Jimmy, concealing 
his fears from the girl with a steady 
fire of conversation, set about to build 
a rough shelter for the night. It took 
long hours of tedious labor, that shel- 
ter, and crude and poorly fashioned as 
it was, dusk had come upon them be- 
fore it was finally completed. 

It was a lean-to, closed in on two 
sides, roofed with the fronds of a fern 
which Jimmy thought to be pterido- 
sperm or plant of similar family. 

Then once again, this time with Eve 
at his side, Jimmy stood on the sum- 
mit of the ridge and surveyed the 
lonely scene. To the east stretched 
the sea, a leaden wedge continuing to 
the rim of the world. 

To the west and circling far to the 
north and south rose the Cretaceous 
jungle, an impenetrable bastion of 
green, seething with unknown 
dangers. 

“it’s frightening,” Eve said in an 
awed voice. “I can’t realize that all 
this is on a microscopic scale, that that 
ocean is really only a few drops of 
water on a globe which I could hold 
in ray hand. Oh, why doesn't Uncle 
do something?” 

They returned to the lean-to shel- 
ter, ate a few tnore mollusks and lay 
down to sleep. 

Outside there was black silence, 
broken only by the monotonous 
swishing of the waves against the 
lower shore. 



118 



THRILLING WONDER STORIES 



Jimmy, tired unto exhaustion, 
drifted off quickly. He dreamed wild 
dreams of entering the Cretaceous 
jungle of this miniature world, losing 
his way, and walking on and on until 
his legs began to ache in their sockets 
and his whole body called out for 
rest. 

Jimmy was awakened by a piercing 
cry. It seemed to come from far off, 
and it was repeated twice before his 
dulled senses grasped its significance. 
Then he leaped to his feet and looked 
about him. Broad daylight streamed 
through the front of the lean-to. But 
Eve — Eve was gone. 

The reporter ran to the entrance, 
calling her name frantically. The 
ridge about the little camp was de- 
serted. A hunched broomlike cycad 
tree waved its bushy branches in a low 
moan of mockery. Heart thumping, 
Jimmy raced higher up the acclivity 
and turned his eyes down toward the 
shore. And what he saw there froze 
him into immobility. 

A t the water's edge, face white 
I with terror, stood Eve. At her 
feet, scattered on the sandy floor 
where she had dropped them, lay a 
small pile of mollusks. And fifty 
yards down the shore, gazing at her 
like a creature out of hell, was a thing 
whose very existence the reporter 
found hard to believe. 

It was a hideous giant-headed mon- 
ster with fat, scaly body and cavern- 
ous jagged-toothed mouth. It stood 
erect on its hind feet, the sharp claws 
of its forefeet extended, the long 
nointed tail thrown out far behind. 
Even as he stood there motionless, 
numb with terror, the reporter’s brain 
flashed back to his earlier studies and 
seized upon a name of classification. 
A theropod, a carnivorous AUosaurus 
agiiis, the most ferocious of Mesozoic 
dinosaurs. 

The horrible reptile was moving 
closer, heading slowly toward its 
prey. 

Jimmy stooped downward, scooped 
up two heavy rocks and raced down 
the ridge. Before he reached the 
shore he snapped back hii arm and 



flung one of the stones with every 
ounce of strength he could command. 
The missile fell far short. 

On to the girl’s side he ran, glanc- 
ing over his shoulder at the approach- 
ing monster. They were hemmed in. 
Ahead was the sea, filled with dangers 
even more fearful than this theropod. 
Behind rose the ridge. And flanking 
the sea in both directions, the jungle. 
Their only al ernatlve was the sandy 
shore which stretched far into the dis- 
tance. But Jimmy and Eve knew that 
before they had covered two hundred 
yards of that shore the hideous thing 
behind them would have closed in and 
made its attack. 

The reporter seized the girl’s arm. 
“Run!” he cried. “I’ll keep the thing’s 
attention until you’ve got a start.” 

She hesitated. 

“Run!” he repeated. “We wouldn’t 
have a chance together.” 

Face white, lips drawn, she broke 
into a quick, jerky stride and raced 
down the beach. 

Jimmy whirled, poised his second 
rock and looked at the monster. The 
therapod, moving kangaroolike on its 
hind legs, was only a few feet away 
now. Its mouth was open, showing 
the dead white interior. Its eyes were 
gleaming like hot coals, and the tail 
was lashing from side to side. 

Again the reporter drew back his 
arm and let fly the stone. Brain filled 
with only one thought, the safety of 
the girl who had cast herself on this 
horrible planet to quicken his rescue, 
he watched the heavy object smash 
full force on the armored skull. 

But the theropod only shook its 
head clumsily at the concussion. It 
paused an instant, then came on at re- 
newed speed. 

For a fleeting instant despair shot 
through the reporter like a bolt. Then 
he darted aside, thrust his body out 
of the theropod’s path and circled 
completely around the reptile. It was 
a trick of counted seconds, and he ac- 
complished it with only the scantest 
margin. 

Heart racing, he ran twenty feet be- 
fore the theropod was aware of the 
maneuver. Then he turned and hurled 



THE WORLD IN A BOX 



IIS 



a third rock. The heavy missile 
caught the monster a crashing blow in 
the left eye, drew instant blood and 
half blinded it. 

Now was the momentary advantage 
Jimmy had been waiting for, and with 
a frantic lunge he shot past the rep- 
tile, threw caution to the winds, and 
ran headlong down the shore. 

Far ahead he could see Eve stand- 
ing motionless, waiting for him to 
join her. The girl had seized a wood- 
en cudgel, a dead branch from a tree, 
and was urging him on. Behind, 
though he did not look back, he could 
hear the theropod thundering in pur- 
suit. 

As he ran, turmoil pounded through 
the brain of the reporter. How long 
would they have to fight against these 
hideous dangers? How long before 
Professor Hilliard became aware of 
his niece’s action and took steps to 
rescue her? 

And then suddenly as if in answer 
to his thoughts, a mighty shadow 
leaped down from sky to earth, A low, 
droning roar, tingling his whole body 
with its vibrations, sounded above. 
From somewhere in the upper reaches 
of the heavens that same cone-shaped 
tube of steel descended to eclipse the 
whole eastern horizon. 

Down toward the water’s edge it 
came, resting on a wider patch of 
sand, a few yards from the shore. 

With an exultant shout Jimmy in- 
creased his speed. “The projector!” 

The theropod seemed to sense what 
was happening. A quick glance be- 
hind showed Jimmy that it was ad- 
vancing at a terrific rate now. 

Could he make it? The reporter 
made a frantic survey of the distance 
that lay between him and the entrance 
of the projector. He waved his arm 
at the girl, motioned her forward. But 
stubbornly she refused to move until 
he was abreast of her. Then silently, 
side by side, they raced toward the 
safety that seemed so near yet so far 
away. Twenty yards from the steel 
opening Eve tripped over a sub- 
merged stone and plunged headlong, 
The reporter bent downward, seized 
the girl and with the added weight 



continued onward in his flight. 

But at length they were in the wid- 
er patch of sand, the projector rising 
up like some geometric inverted 
mountain before them. With one last 
lunge Jimmy shoved the girl into the 
opening and slipped in beside her. 

Instantly blackness closed in on 
him, and a great roaring like the fury 
of a hundred maelstroms smote his 
ears. He had a momentary feeling of 
the projector leaping upward at sick- 
ening speed, of his ^dy being hurled 
into the upper reaches of the tube by 
some unseen power. . . • 

COT HILLIARD was seated in 
one of the stiff-backed metal 
chairs in his laboratory. 

His face was white and drawn, his 
eyes glazed and bloodshot. For ten 
minutes he had sat there in silence, 
staring across at the trim figure of his 
niece. Eve Manning, and at the re- 
porter, Jimmy Blane. 

At length he rose heavily, paced 
forward and extended his hand. 

“ I — ^I deserve no consideration,” he 
said haltingly. “But will you accept 
my deepest regrets and apologies, Mr. 
Blane? I’m sorry. I must have been 
mad, out of my mind. I didn’t realize 
the terrible thing I was doing when 
1 placed you on that planet. It took 
the courage of my niece to show me 
what a fiend I was. 

“If there is any way in which I can 
make amends, anything I can do—” 

The Star-Telegr^ reporter looked 
at Eve and smiled. “Bygones are by- 
gones,” he replied. “We came back 
safely, that’s all that matters. But 
tvhat are you going to do with the 
globe, the little world in the glass 
case?” 

Hilliard started and shook his head. 
For a moment he stood there, gazing 
blankly into space. “The globe,” he 
repeated. “Ah, yes, the globe. I have 
extinguished the arosun, Mr. Blane, 
turned off its heat and light. The lit- 
tle globe is no longer a living world. 
Until I choose to stop it, it will con- 
tinue to rotate on its axis and revolve 
in its orbit, but it is as lifeless and 
cold as the moon,” 



Science Questions 
and Answers 

r HIS department is conducted for the beneUt of readers who have per- 
tinent queries on modern scientific facts. As space is limited, we can- 
not undertake to answer more than three questions for each letter. The 
Hood of correspondence received makes it impractical, also, to promise an 
immediate answer in every case. However, questions of general interest 
will receive careful attention. 





ASTEROIDS 

Editor, Science Questions and Answers: 
Asteroids are often mentioned in your 
stories. 1 would like to know what they are 
exactly, and why there are so ^any of them. 
Why aren’t they called planets? 

B. L., 

Worcester, Mass. 

Technically speaking, the asteroids are planets. 
But because of their extrensely small size, they 
have been separately named, asUroid meaning 
stariike. The name was suggested by Sir William 
Hcrscbel because no telescope was able to resolve 
them into more than points of light. 

Another great astronomer, Kepler, was the first 
to remark about the wide gap between the orbits 
of Mars and Jupiter, being no less than 342 mil- 
lions of miles. In 1772, Bode’s Law (a numerical 
relation^ip between the distances of the planets 
from the sun) indicated that a planet should exist 
between them. Neptune had been previously dis- 
covered by mass calculations, so the same method 
was tried with this hypothetical planet — unsuccess- 
fully. Then the first of the pygmy planetoids 
was discovered by the Sicilian, I^zzi, who made 
detailed star maps. 

By one of tht»e “stranger than truth” quirks 
of fate, he made his famous discovery on the first 
night of the nineteenth century — January i, 1801. 
His telescope ^ow«d a faint star-image that 
moved among the other star-images. It con- 
tinued to move. Thus was observed the first of 
that group of cold, airless, miniature planets. It 
was named Ceres. The next year another w'as 
found, Pallas. In 1804, Juno. 1807, Vesta. The 
fifth was not located until 1845: Astrea. Then, 
beginning with 1847, not a year has passed with- 
out the discovery of one or more. Over two thou- 
sand are known at presenL 

Yet their aggregate mass cannot be over 1/3000 
of Earth’s. There are two theories to account for 
these tiny bodies. One that during the formation 
of the planets — molten matter jerked from the 
sun by a passing star — the cluster of globules that 
should have formed the planet beyond Mars failed 
to coalesce, and remained as scattered material. 
The oth^, that a planet had once been {here, 
and had exploded. Ed. 

CENTER OF THE EARTH 

Editor, Science Questions and Answers: 

Is the center of the earth molten, or is it 



not? Some of the science-fiction authors 
seem to think it isn’t. How much is defi- 
nitely known of Eiaitlt’s interior compo- 
sition? 

V. O., 

Los Angeles, Calif. 

The recent science of seismology has served to 
pve some idea of Earth's general make-up, by the 
interpretation of vibrations going through our 
planet. It is more or less of a blind groping, and 
cannot be taken as gospel fact. 

The Earth is very nearly a perfect sphere. As 
Sir James Jeans says, it is more nearly a billiard 
bail than the flattened orange to which it is most 
often compared. And the roughness on the surface 
of an orange is far more extensive, in proportion, 
than the mountains and ocean hollows of Earth. 
If the inequalities of Earth’s surface are like those 
of an exceptionally smooth orange, then the dirt 
and water layers are like a thin sprinkKng of dust 
and dew. 

What lies beneath this tissue-paper thinness of 
dirt and water which mean everything to us hu- 
mans? It is thought that there is first a fifty- 
mile layer of solid rock. Then a section of plastic 
mineral matter 1,700 miles thick. And finally the 
molten core, 2,200 miles across. The molten core 
is generally crecRted, but there is an alternative 
theory that it is solid and derives its beat from 
an abundance of radioactive materials. 

The Theory of Isostasy has it that the fifty-mile 
solid crust is really a semi-rigid mass floating on 
the ocean of plastic material, called the bary- 
spkere, and this in turn floating on the molten 
mass of the central core. All our earthquakes, 
landslips, and vanishing and appearing islands are 
thus due. to shiftings of the barysphere, which Is 
alwaj's moving and twisting slowly. Mountains 
stick up higher than the rest of the land because 
they are the lightest of all materials, and so get 
pushed up further when major crust cataclysms 
take place. 

The fifty-mile crust directly beneath us, called 
the Htkosphere, is thought to be composed of 
three distinct layers. The topmost of granitic 
rocks, the middle of basaltic, and the lowermost 
of unknown composition. It is also suspected 
that buried in these unattained depths are in- 
credibly large deposits of metals, like a vast treas- 
ure house. But like the Crocus’ fortune of gold 
^ssolved in sea-water, it may not yield itself to 
human efforts for many years, if ever. Ed. 




THE SCIENCE MOTION LEAGUE 



115 



DEUTERIUM 

Editor, Science Questions and Answers: 

There has been a lot of fuss made over 
the discovery ree«it!y of “denterium” or 
*^eavy hydrogen,” and stories have even 
been written about it, but 1 don’t see that 
it means mueh except as a scientific curiosi- 
ty. What, if anythin*, have they actually 
used this over- weight nydrogen for? 

M. L„ 

Baltimore, Maryland. 

Deutetium, it. is true, has not as yet any 
practical ap^icalions, but the keenest scientific 
minds have ^rcady visioned avesues of interesting 
research, some of which may lead to important 
practical results. 

It has been found easier to experiment with 
deuterium not as^sueh but in its chemical com- 
bination with oj^en to form common water. If 
the apparatus is sufficiently refined, it will be 
possiwe (oxygen having three isotopes) to form 
nine kinds of water : each having a different 
freezing point, boiling point and density. And 
each slightly different in chemical reaction. It has 
already been found that certain forms of animal 
life do not choose to live in “heavy” water, and 
some seeds retard U^eir grouting. This indicates 
a definite relationship between Hving matter and 
“heavy" water. 

If we suppose our pharmaceuticals and hor- 
mones and vitamins as made of normal hydrogen, 
what new afiects would they have on our bodies 
if made of deuterium? How would an anesthetic 
affect us if composed in part of deuterium ? Would 
deuterium make a better fuel fpr the oxy-hydrogen 
torch ? Would our sugars taste better if they con- 
tained “heavy” hydrogen? 

These, and a thousand more, are the questions 
chemists and physicists and Uologists are asking. 
It win take an Immense amount of research to 
reve^ the answers, but some Of those answers 
may be astoun(£ng. Aluminum, at one time as 
dear as gold, worked a small revolution in the 
metallurgical fi^ when it was produced cheaply. 
If deuterium Is some day produced in quantity, 
It, too, might spread waves across the broad sur- 
(A uu^try. Ed. 

DOES AN AMOEBA THINK? 

Editor, Science Questions and Answers: 

Could you answer this question? I am 
curious to know if a single-celled creature, 
like an amoeba, has a mind? Does it **think” 
or does it ^st exiat? 

G. P., 

Chicago, IH. 

Science does not have an answ^ to this ques- 
tion, except to say ttot the amoe^cfefinitely tocks 
the type of thinking organ we have, the brain. 
But, on the oth^r hand, it exhibits phases of 
activity that distinguish it from dead mineral 
matter, so its state of consciousness must lie be- 
tween that of cerebral life and non-living matter. 

The amoeba perforins all the consefous functions 
of life — assimilation, growth, reproduction, mo- 
tion, and reaction to stimuli. Thus, in a manner 
of ^>eahing, it has a "mind.^ It reaches a pseudo- 
arm around a tat of food; a Uob of dough would 



V/at do that. It moves around, restlessly; a tuft 
of unliving cotton cannot of itself. It makes its^ 
grow, at the expense of the surrounding medium; 
rocks do not tend to grow thou^ they be in 
the very same sort of stuff out of which they 
are made. 

These are manifestations of conscious life. They 
Indicate a wiil to do '.hings that non-living su£>- 
sUnce does not possess. And though far removed 
in degree from the hijfcly-devekiped minds of 
humans, it can be said tW the amoeba has also 
a “mind.” Ed. 

ETERNAL LIFE 

Editor, Science Questions and Answers: 

la there any hope that some day science 
will discover the secret of eternal youth? 
They say that each succeeding generation 
fives to a greater age limit. I wonder if that 
can go on and on till in the future there 
will be no death? 

C. W., 

Bmghamton, New York. 

There are some popular fallacies connected with 
this problem. One is that science k able to retard 
the natural course of impending death, and thus 
prolong an individual's life. As a matter of fact, 
it is not the individual that has been so benefited, 
but rather the a^egale mass of persons within 
its scope. The cve«i|€ bmit has been raised, 
through effective sanitation, efficient medication, 
and skillful life-saving surgery; more people die 
at the age of sixty now than did people a hun- 
dred years ago. But, anomalous as it seems, any 
single person has no expectation of living longer 
than he would have in 1836. 

To make It clearer, sd«Ke has succeeded ad- 
miraHy in staving off death wbeft death is prema- 
ture, and in a sense, unnecessary. Appendicitis 
today, because of wide hospitalization, does not 
sever unfinished fives nearly as often as in eartier 
times. 

Perhaps the greatest desire of men is for eternal 
youth. AJl through the ages, mankmd has searched 
for this supreme secret. Success & as remote to- 
day as a thousand yean ago. In seme measure, 
the dream has been realized. We nowadays enjoy 
youth for a longer time than did our forgathers, 
what with the comparative serenity of modem 
life, and its bghtened burden in this age of 
mechanization. 

Yet it remains that a man of fort5^five today 
has no more chance of living to the age of eighty 
than a man in the last century. He may bo 
saved from premature death By an emergency 
operation, but the approach of dissolution is in- 
evitable. 

A heart fragment of a duck embryo was im- 
mersed in an artificial, nutritive medhira in 1912, 
and it is still growing actively today. It is al- 
most immortal. It cannot be predicted, but some 
day science may find this the first stepping stone 
toward longevity. Ed. 

THE PLANET PLUTO 

Editor, Scietiee Questions and Answers: 

My astrononty book is too ancient to giro 
( Concluded oa page H7‘) 




HO will be directly re- 
sponsible for the marvels of 
the future — scientists or 
science fiction writers? This contro- 
versy is a moet ®ne, bitterly contested 
by both factions. One school insists 
that science is too conservative, al- 
most reactionary, mainly because of a 
lack of imagination. 

It took the imagination of a Jules 
Verne to foresee the modern sub- 
marine It required the inspiration of 
an H. G. Wells tp visualise and depict 
the use of the airplane as an instru- 
ment of vrarfare. 

Today science is still striving to 
achieve the perfection of many won- 
ders anticipated earlier by science fic- 
tion writers. Time-traveling, space 
conquest, atomic disintegration, trans- 
mutation of tbe elements — all of these 
events of the world of tomorrow were 
first presented by science fiction 
writers who possessed imagination. 

TRIAL AND ERROR 

Cold science, devoid of imagina- 
tion, sometimes stumbles along, by 
trial and error, blundering into suc- 
cess after multiple failures. The X- 
ray, for example, was discovered by 
sheer accident— and it’s been the same 
with many other inventions. 

Members of the SCIENCE FIC- 
TION LEAGUE are strongly imagi- 
native. That fact is indisputable. The 
readers of science fiction and of 
THRILLING WONDER STORIES 
are everywhere. They arc to be found 
on every continent and in every 
country, even where the English lan- 
guage is not spoken. They are virtual- 
ly as numerous as the myriad stars 
dotting the firmament. All closely 



The SCIENCE 
FICTION LEAGUE 

A department conducted for members of 
the international SCIENCE FICTION 
LEAGUE in the interest of science fiction 
and its promoUon. We urge members to 
contribute any items of interest that they 
believe will be of value to the organization. 

e 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS 

• 

FORREST J. ACKERMAN 
EANDO BINDER 
JACK DARROW 
EbMOND HAMILTON 
ARTHUR J. BURKS 
.RAK CUMMINGS 
RALPH MILNE FARLEY 



united by a common love for the most 
absorbing and inspiring variety of 
literature — science fiction. 

Never before have members been so 
dynamically active. The Los Angeles 
Chapter hss doubled its membership. 
The Brooklyn Chapter has been re- 
organized. The Philadelphia Chapter 
looks forward to a successful new 
year. Pan magazines devoted to the 
discussion of science fiction and its 
many phases have become widely cir- 
culated. 

Everywhere there are evidences of 
the new popularity of pseudo-scien- 
tific fiction. Readers of THRILLING 
WONDER STORIES are urged to 
submit items pertaining to science 
fiction that they feel will be interest- 
ing to fellow LEAGUE members. 

PRIZE LEHER CONTEST 

There is still to win an original 
drawing by the famous illustrator, M. 
MarchionL Illustrations are in black- 
and-white, exactly as they were pre- 
pared for r^eproduction. You can win 
one of these original drawings by 
writing a letter, not more than three 
hundred words long, on the subject, 
“What Can I Do to Promote Science 
Fiction?’’ Writing skill does not 
116 



count. Sincerity and practicability are 
most important. 

JOIN THE LEAGUE 

Join the SCIENCE FICTION 
LEAGUE! It’s a world organization 
for followers of science and science 
fiction — and it fosters that intangible 
bond which exists between all science 
fiction readers. Just fill out the ap- 
plication blank! 

There are members and chapters in 
every part of the globe — there arc in- 
teresting get-togethers, and members 
have worthwhile correspondences 
with one another. 

To obtain a FREE certificate of 
membership, tear off the name-strip 
on the cover of this magazine, so that 
the date and the title of the magazine 
show, and send it to SCIENCE FIC- 
TION LEAGUE, enclosing a stamp- 
ed, self-addressed envelope. We will 
forward you, in addition to the cer- 
tificate, further information concern- 
ing LEAGUE activities. 

Everybody— please write the editor 
of THRILLING WONDER 
STORIES a letter every month. We 
will publish as many as space can 
allow. We want all your opinions, 
suggestions and criticisms! They are 
helping to make THRILLINQ 
WONDER STORIES, your maga- 
zine, the kind of a magazine you 
want it to be. —THE EDITOR. 



THE SCIENCE FICTION LEAGUE 

— k department conducted for membere of the In* 
ternationaJ Science Fiction Leagtw in the Intereet of 
science, science fiction and its promotion. We ur^ 

e embers to contribute anr items of IntereA that they 
ilieve will be of value to the orgranisatioD. 

There are thousands of members in the League with 
about forty chapters in this country and abroad, and 
more than tbat number in the making all over the 
world. An application for readers who hare not yet 
joined wlU be found below. 



FOREIGN CHAPTERS 



BouRdhay, L^ds 8. Yorkshire. England. 

B^fast Science Fiction League (Chapter No. 20). 
Director. Hugh C. Carswell, 6 Srilna St.. Belfast. 
Northern Ireland. 

Nuneaton Science Fiction League (Chapter Mo. 22), 
Director II. K. Hanson, c/o Mrs. Brice, Main Boad, 
Narborough. Leicestershire. England. 

Sydney Science Fiction League (Chapter No. 27), 
Director. W. i. 3. Osland. 26 Union Street, Paddington, 
Sydney. N. S. W„ Australia. 

Glasgow Science Fiction League (Chapter No. 84). 
Director. Donald G. MacBaa, 3u Moray PI.. Glasgow, 
Scotland. _ 

Barnsley Science Fiction League (Chapter No. 37), 
Dtrerior. Jack Beaumont. 30 Fonteflact Road. Barns- 
ley. Yorkshire, England. 

(Coatinued on page 118) 




I<;fND for 10 DAY FREE TRIAL OFFER 



WE WANT YOU TO TEST 

the Weil Belt st our Expense! 

D ONT let 4 “bay window** make you the butt 
of locker room Jokes! If the Weil Belt does 
not take 3 INCHES off that paoBChy waisduu IN 10 DAYS 
h woo’t cost you a redeem! , t. c. 

■ If you want that well-set-up appeannee, get rid of the tat 
this easy wayl Nostarvatioo diets ... no streouooi cxucises 
. . . Just get into a Weil belt and appev inches amailer at 
once. You wiU feel, as well as look like a new mao as 
the fat actually disappears. With the loss of burdensome fat 
▼itality and pep will come back, Maoy,wearers state that 
tbetMuced weight aids digestion and reiteres coasupttionl 

IP you DO HOT » * * 
REDUCE YOUR WAIST 

^ INCHES IH 10 DAYS 

... It will cost you nothbiffl 

■ It would take g whale of a lot of nerve to make rneb ao 
agreement if we didn't know, from the experiences of 
buodteds of men th«T our claims are conservative. W. T. 
Ander8OOwrites"Lost50lbs.”;W.L. McGLnois ttys"Wairt 
is 8 iuches sn^er”. Fred Wolfe says' Feel like a new man. 

S These men and many others ate so enthusiastic about 
eit new lease on life that they write us about it!. ..Why 
not prove at out expense that u will do as much for you r 

DON'T WAIT, FAT IS DANGEROUS I 

B Insurance companies think twice before tbe^n' 
t man . . . doctors warn against overweigm. W rw o 
that dangerous fat off before k harms your heutfar 



^ insure a 

_ rootget 

that dangerous fat off before k harms your he^far 
■ The Weil method is We and shim.. . . it s the fe^e 
massage-like actimt as you walk or sit at your desk that 
does the trickl And you feel more comfortable with sagging 
abdomioal muscles supported. Don’t carry aroua^ 
h»nn anv lonacr! Mai! the — i 



iggiog 

id that 

today! SOWff 



THE well, CO,t InoM 881 HU ST., nan iiAVtN, iivira. 

Gwitlemeo: Send me FREE, your illustrated folder de^Wng 
The Weil Belt and full details rfyout 10 day FREE Tnal Offer. 

Addren. 

Vn Ceutron *rStnrf Naeu auJ Address tn fj-uiry Pest Curd 



117 





TIm BIf Co^oe 2»bop« la Clucago t - 

KDUtatloo for tndnbic finbItlooB feUowt (or their start ia 
this bl«-pay field ia only 12 weeks. Tbea you Ret life- 
time graduate eoaplormeat serrlce. By my new plan 
*yOU take advantage of our wonderful mctood of 
feeming-by-doing NOW — no need to lose time and money 
while you sMve vtd save to raise the necessary tuition. 




PAY TUITION ON EASY 
PAYMENT PLAN 



Exciting War-ThnlU on Every Page of 

SKY FIGHTERS 

A THRILLING PUBLICATION 

lOc At AH — £very Month 



DEAFNESS IS MISERY 

Msay people with defoctiTa hearia^ sad 
Head Noienmioy Convenstion. Motio. 

Church and Radie, bemine they use i 
T Leonard JnviuUe Ear Dnupt which ' 

H resemble Tiny MegsphooeifittiBg 
, 7 in the Ear entirely ont of sight. 

m No wix;i,bsti«tses or held piece, 

‘ J They an iBt&pensive, Write for , 
tr boetlec and ivorti mteaent of ^ 

the iaVebterwbowMhioielf deaf. 

•.C. imiAl lB.lMfc.ma Ui. lC9SlkA«t..llMrr«fk 

BUILD AN AUTO TRAILER 



ONLY Tlie cost of this sleeper trailer 
gf, mm of teardrop design, built on an 
chassis, will not exceed $50.00 
^ , complete, with material cut at the 

complete ^ cmxent 

issue of Mechanics and handiceaft. 

Now reduced to 10c per copy at all newsstands. 



US 



(Coatinutd itom page 117 } 

OTHER CHAPTERS 

Thwe nr« othar domeatiS Chaptera of the LBAOUS, 
fully orraolzetl with regrular meetiqg'i. in the follow* 
iof cUlea. Addressea will furnished upon reduSet 
by Headquarters to members who would like to join 
soma local branch. Chapters are listed chronoloiHcallr 
according to Charter; 

Xowiston. Ida.; Erie. Pa.; Iios Angeles, Oalif.' IContl- 
cello. N. Y.; Mayfield, Pa.; J>ebaiion. Pa.; Jersey ’City, 
N. J.[. Lincoln. N<^ra«ka: New York. N. Y.: Philadel- 
phia, Pa.: Oakland, Calif,; Elizabeth, N. J.; Chicago, 
111.; Tacoma. Wash.; AUtin. Tex.; Millhlem. Paj 
Bioomingtoii. III.; Newark. N, J.; Stamford, Conn!: 
Denver. Colo.; Lakeport. Calif.; XUdgewood, N. Y.; 
Woodmere. N. Y.; Beckley. W. Va,; Tuck.-\lroe. N. T.* 
South Amboy. N. j.; Pierre, S. Dak.; Albany. N. Y.: and 
Boonton, N. J. 



CHAPTER NEWS AND GENERAL 
AaiVITIES 



LOS ANGELES 

Roster of Chapter 4 has doubled since last report I 
This active membership of twice as many THBIlXlNG 
WONDER STORIES readers as few months before 
means increase of 100% I Newcomers Include: Qtirss 
Pnlrchlld, Z-ray specialist and first feminine member of 
LA League; artist Barr; fantasy author Henry KUlt- 
ner; ami students. 

Artist-member Mooney ia at present preparing series 
of impressions of well-known ch.-iracters of science and 
fantasy fiction. One of his first pictures is a large color 
portrait of Narodny. last i>oet of the Merrltlale, 
‘^‘Rhythm of the Spheres.” In Oct. T. W. 9. 

^^arr Is bringing some of his pseudo-science stories to 
cm for members' reactlom before editorial submission. 

At B^eral meetings, exchanges and sales of back 
l*tue B-P mags have been conducted among members. 

About a month after open house example ox 



APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP 

SCIENCE FICTION LEAGUE 

Science Fiction League, 

22 W. 48th St., New 'Ifork, N. Y. 

I wish to apply for membership in 
the SCIENCE FICTION LEAGUE. 
1 pledge myself to abide by all rules 
and regulations. 



Name 

(Print Legibly) 



Address 



City 



State Age 



Occupation Hobby 

I am enclosing a stamped, self-ad- 
dressed envelope and the name-strip 
from the cover of this magazine (tear 
off name-strip sp that the name 
THRILLING WONDER STORIES 
and the date can be seeip. You will 
send me my membership certi&cate 
and a list of rules promptly. 

2—3? 



"XiMraa-^rMt." Executl'/e Birectoc Acbernun &rran8«d 
for Biotilar ere. itwited I«affuers to bis iUmlaitd flat 
for iDfqnnal meeting and inspection of bis collection. 
Tbose able to attend saw photo files containing 600 
kodaks from fantascimce films, domestic and foreign, 
prodnoed dnrtng past drcade I Such unusual books in 
his Imwtnative library as “The World of Tomorrow.” 
•clenti&ireation from England: imported German 

edition of “Metropolis," story of the Scfentlflcineinas- 
terpiece: “Ultimo” by Vsssos: Soviet Union science 
fiction novel (interplanefaryam) printed in Esperanto; 
et(\ Rare iasucs of professional mags and fan pubs. 
Selectioits ol scientificartouus. Heard pbonigraficrea- 
tion of Frankeeiet^n monster, in electrical laboratory 
sequence from original “Frankenstein,*' via sound disc 
from film. Etc. ft is planned to visit other members’ 
hornet at intervals, to viev their individual collections. 

Bonoraiy Member Aekenaan was out of town ten 
vre^s on eflairs of sctentifsntasy Field. Sojourning 
with hii brother, bona fide League member, at his 
earlier address in San Francisco, was informed regu- 
larly of LA Activities by Treasurer Hod^lne and others 
In attendance, fat San Francisco, FJA, first Claes, met 
SecV. Science Fiction Advancement Assoc.; contacted 
League member* from San Mateo. Hayward. Oakland, 
Berkeley— nearby aid acrosr-ooy cities — with aim of 
stimulating tntcrest: secured new members: etc. At 
this writing he is returnihg to Movie Metropolis within 
a week, brioging bark items of interest for lantaacience 
cirele. A sdentiflceKbration was planned for Yuletime, 
with Bcloiti-Santa getting his Claus on all attending for 
imagiaative as well as merry, AH Z'-maa affair! 
league meetings are every other Thure. eve, from 7 
o’clock on: 2d floor, reserved “SwlUerlond" room 
Clifton Cafeleris. 648 S. Broadway, downtown Los An- 
geles. We have partkipants from Hollywood. Beverly 
Hills, eves Glendale. AH local followers of imaginative 
literature are urged to attend I A banner 1937 Is 

expected I 



PHILADELPHIA 



Our first Sfisual reoKanizatlon meeting was held at 
Ihe resldenee of John v. Baltadonis. one of our moat 
a^ive members. Thtk meeting was certainly the most 
successful one the Philadelphia Chapter has witnessed 
in its one and one-half years' existence. For this meet- 
ing the entire eitrollmeot turned out. which is indeed a 
rarMy. In addition, a vfeUor from Brooklyn was 
present, in the person of George R. Hahn, a hitherto 
inactive fan. 

The meeting was called to order by Milton A 
Rothman, the IHeeetor. Robert A. Madle brought up the 
Bubjeet of electing new olflcere, which evoked favorable 
comment from the members. By a unanimous vote Mr 
Rothman, the eapaWe IMreetor, was reelected Director 
for the foriheonung year. Oswald Train bMsme Trea- 
surer and Mr. Madle was elected to the post evacuated 
by Raymond Peel Marriella. that of Secretary 

FoHowirtg this, a small fan magazine which we are 
publishing becBme the topic of interest. This magsslne 
although bektographed at the present time, will appear 
in a printed format in 1937. Many famous authors and 
fans will be featured, such as David H. Keller. Ralph 
Milne Farley. Donald A. Wollheim, etc. 

Charles H. Bert commenced a general discussion on 
science fiction when he asked. “What do you think of 
the Van Manderpoots sertes?” The result of this ques- 
tion was that everyone present considered those stories 
among the best of Stanley G. Welnbaum's masterpieces 
Espwially liked was “The Ideal.'* 

This Chapter, although alow in getting a good start, 
IS now well estabilsbed. and meetings are held every 
other Saturday irirtt at the restclence of Mr. Rothman. 
2113 N. Franklin Street. In addition to being an active 
science fiction fan. Mr. Rothman is quite intm-ested in 



1 speak interestingly on 



ugly on practically i 
raiding in Philadelpl 



above address. 



BROOKLYN SCIENCE FICTION 
LEAGUE 



FACTORY 
TO YOU 



NEW REMINGTON NOISELESS 




PORTABLE! 



AT liASTI The famous Remington Noiseless 
aV Portable that speaks in a whisper is available 
for only 10^ a day. Here ia yotir opportunity to 
get a real Remington Noiseless Portable direct 
from the factory. Equipped with all attachments 
that make for complete writing equipment. Stand- 
ard keyboard. Automatic ribbon reverse. Variable 
line spacer and all the conveniences of the finest 
portable ever built. PLVS the NOISELESS fea- 
ture. Act now while this special opportunity 
holds good. Send coupon TODAY for details. 

YOU DON*T RISK A PENNY 
We send you the Remington Noiseless Portable 
direct from the factory with 10 days FREE trial. 
If you are not satisfied, send It back. WE PAY 
ALL SHIPPING CHARGES. 

• FREE TYPING COURSE 

With your D«w Remingtcn Noisetsss Portabla w« wUi *«nd y<m 
— sbsolotcly FREE— a )S-page cooraa in typing. It teaches tba 
Toacb SvBtem, used by all expert typists. It is slmpiy written 
and completely Ulastrated. Instructions are as etmp le ea A, B. 
G Even a child can easily miderstaitd tbia method. A little 
study and the average person, child or adult, bectwiea fasd- 
nated. Follow this course during the 10-Bay IVIal Period we 
give you with your typewriter and yoo will wwder Why you 
ever took tba trouble to write letters by band. 

• FREE CARRYING CASE 

Also undar Uiis new Purchase Plan wa will aand you FREE with 
every BemingtoD Noiaeleac Portable a special carrying case 
sturdily built of 8-ply wood. This handsome ease is covered with 
heavy (hi Pont fabric. The top is removed by one motion, leaving 
the machine firmly attached to the base. This makes it easy tonae 
your Remington anywhere— on knees. In chairs, on trains. Don’t 
delay . . . seed in the coupon for complete detaUsI 



A meeting was held at the home of Frederlk Pobl, 
849 St. John’s PI.. Brooklyn, N. T.. who bad applied for 
a charter, and who had oontdeted several SFL members 
previously for the purpose Of organisiug a new Brook- 
lyn Chapter. 

MemT>ers present were Frederik Pohl, Henry Da- 
Costa. Elton Andrews, Walter Rubtlus, Harry Dock- 
weller. and Allen Zweig. All thoee present were SFL 
members. 

All agreed that the first business on band was the 
election of officers. Frederlk Pobl was unanimoutdy 
chosen Director. Elton Andrews was eleut^ Vice- 
Director in a heated oonteet. Henry DaCosta became 
Secretary, and Alien Zweig. Treasorer. Mr. Kabilns had 

(Continued on pmge 120) 



SEND COUPON WHILE LOW PRICES HOLD 



l~ Bo 



Please t«U roe how 1 can get a new Remington Noiseless Pmialfia 
typewriter, plus FREE Typing Coarse and carrying ease, fOTonly 
10c a day. Also send me new iUnstrated catalogue. 



119 




D tor WIORE PAY learn ^ 

RAFTING 

oETSBAi^poBnuiapsfa^^ ®* 

.EHClNOOl DOBt DIv. Jin. Ulwrtyvlll*, td. 

D BBOOBIB a SCO DBS B F C I- 

E T E C T I V E 

Kan» Biff Money— Iravel or Work at Homo. , Write 
today for Fiee Detei^ve P;\per and interesting litera- 
ture. NAXIONAl. SFSTBU, Dept. B. Fremont. Neb. 

Exciting Stories of Fedends in Action 



G-MEN 

Price 10c — At AH Stands 



(C^aiipued from pago 119) 

been nominaUil Treasurer but explained that be tnlgbl 
Dot^be a^ to alttnd regularly. 



ediiorla) elan ot THBIIXf. 

grant of a charter, lltp memhers decided Vbat in aq lar 
as there aeoiaed to be no active chapter ln_ all New 



York Oily, they would apply tor a &rwtor New York 
charter, which th^ would reBnauish In favor of a 
BrooZl^ charter whenever cliaoters should arise m 
other horougba. Mr. Pohl, whqhad been Viea-weotor 



of thg old BSPL. explainod that it had been vipteally 
defunct Eince the beginning of the year, and be felt a 
new charter was in order. 

The floor was thrown ©pen to general dlseussien and 
Ideas. Tho idea of a dub magasine was brought up. 
Ab it eeemed that euch an organ would do much tp 
bring tho dub into proo»inence. it was agreed to have 
such A paper. The titifc 'Utfimic Csll” was tentatively 
chosen. The only available means of pubNcatVon wm 



choeeh editors. The auq^bn of dues wa& brdh'gbt up 



and tabled until the next meeting. 

Suggwtions were made for theaitar parties to attenp 
Bcientifilme. Tho members decided to try to have «ra 



te established. 

meeting. 

his quarters might be 



to see "The'M^' Who G^ld Work 
u was Bugsreated that fi (dub llbr&yy I 
This was tabled until the next mating. 

Mr. Pohl expialBed that 
' * ' ■ :e if they 

oV 

iiggested 

DaCosta volunteered to Investigate. 

NEW MEMBERS 

UNITED STATES 

X. A. Logsdon. P. O. Box 1144. Long Beach. 

R. L. Benstm. 1419 B. 8lb Bt., Kansa^ty. M«.; Mur- 
ray 0. Murpbey, 6S3 Park Terqace, Oolocadp Springs. 
C^orado: Willis L. Bradley. 235 B. 49th N. Y., 
N. Y.: Stephen C. Davia 41 EUz^>eth St.. Albany, N. T. 
Bob Duckworth. 3321 3rd St. N., Olarendop. Th.; 



Way, Sekttte. Wash.; Arthur C. Thouaa. 

2207 Adeibert Boad. Clevaand, Ohio: n. C. WhUlodt. 
Jr., 206 W. 3Sth St„ N. Y., N. T.: QerakUne SuUlvan: 
180 Boom St.. Qulnu. Mass.: Cbartos Daawoody 
strong. 1616 Downing 8t„ Denver, Colo. 

Burton Dumont. 69 Halstead St., Bast Orange, M. J.t 
Jack Zipgreoo. 963 67th St.. Brooklyn. N. Y.; Prof. 
Both Fraacit. P. O. Box 4. 8la. 1\ Brooklyn. N. Y.c 
C'llflord Fronds. Henderson, W. VA. : Michael Brown, 
616 £Hisat)Ab St.. Sumner. Wash.: Louis 0. BeynoldB, 
390 Cooke St.. Waterbury, Conn. _ 

Earl W. Lewis. 68 West St.. New Bern. N. Harold 
A. Thotnpeon, 114 E- Jones St.. Milford, Ilk: S. M, 
Rudell, 641 Ubrary PI.. Bvanston, Ul.; Napoteop T. 
Pinsou. Pang. Acad. High School. Lingdyen. Pangasin* 
an. P. i. 

Malcolm Stewart. Cumberland. Va.: W. D. Hisgtn* 
botnam. Floreace. S. G.; WiTUs Bnsley. Oen. Del.. Ivao< 
hoe, Oalil.: Francis de Sqles Kenhaw. 184 Guthrie Si. 
Dallas. Texas: E W. Pfeil. 16 X. C<rilam St„ German- 
town. eWtiU.. Pa.: G* 

Mamhall. 111.: JuliUs a 

Everett FinK, 139 Ardmore Bd., W. Hartford. Conn.; 
Edward Zdanuk, 6 Lymau St.. New BrUatn. Cohn.; 
Leslie O. Alley. Jasper. Tenn.; Mike Klym. 2204 Cedkr 
St., Symcuite. N Y. ; Eugehs PavUla. 112 Franklin 
Av6s. wooklyn. K Y.; Elton Andrewa. 349 St. Jdhna 
Place. Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Lawrence Maran, 210 W. 101 St„ New Yo^l. N. Y»; 
Nolen Wlmbcricy, 113 3t. Charles St.. MaYtin. Tenn.; 
Allen Michel. 423 Brooks Run, - 

Judd. 709 W. Oakland. Austin. Mhi 
784 President St.. Brooklyn. N. Y, 

Harry Owczarekl. 2300 N. Oenlrat Park Ave.. Chi- 
cago. 111.: James X. Bffron. 1S4 W. 94th St.. New Yoi^ 
N. Y.: Richard flHblger. 60 W. 77»» St.. New York. 
H. Y.: Cselmir Blae^^ekl. St. Johns H«EPU^. L. 1. C.. 
N. Y.; Arthur iQnginon, 17. Framingdate. N. J. 

Peter Poulcs, 1011 Ninth St.. N. W. Wae^fiirtoa. 
D. C.: 8. D. Kirk. 267 Wldsner St.. Phlla.. Pa.: Ellis 
WllUams. Oen. Delirery. Sahinal. Texas: Maurice B. 
Summers. R.R.l, Hall. Indiana: Bertram Prayer. 1061 
Utica Ave., BroolUyn. N. T.: John Larsen. 8}6 S. W, 
Vista. Portland. Ore^n: Victor Borders. 386 Rdlset 
St.. Brookljm. N. Y.; R^ Lustier. 2j Sonool 8t„ Gor- 
ham, Me.: Francis Fair<AiI6. 1028 S. Vancouver. Lot 
Angeles. Cal. 

~ • • - "" 23rd St„ Denver. Colorado; 



Dourtae Sheeley. 301 23rd 
Harley want, TOSHarnSoP St. 
Quinn. 662 W. 144th St.. New 



New York. N. Y.; 



(Coacittd^ on pago 128) 



The New 



COLLEGE HUMOR tie Everywhere 



ISO 




THE “SWAP” COLUMN 



Bere'a vhere you can evckange tometking you havt 
out aon t want for aomtthing aotneone else has that 
you do xcant. TMs ia a FBEE service, 
tj your request to S5 words. No goods for sale 

‘‘tfed. nor requests concerning firearms or any illegal 
articles. 

J'?? ‘‘suiaps" of back magazine 
rv-le /las been adopted to safe- 
guard pie health of our readers. Back numbers of 
magaztnea are known dleease-etu^riera. 

submitting announce- 
BTORtEB will not be 
^stained. Make plain ivsi what 
“swap" it for. En- 
S' announcement with your re- 

tbrillino wonder 

STOR/ES. te West isth Street. New York. N. Y. 



Kidneys Must 
Clean Out Acids 

Tour body clauu oat Acids snd polsumii wastes la roar blood 
thru 9 million tinr, dellcsi. Eldaer tubes or Blurs, but bswsr* of 
cheep, drsstie, irritetlns drugs. If fusctionsl Kidney or Blsddsr 
disarders make you suSer fron Getting Up Nights, Nsnoutneu. Leg 
Peine. Beckecbe. Circles Under Eyee. DlszliiSBa, Bbetunetlc Peine, 
Acidity. Burning, Smarting or Itching, don’t take chances. Get the 
BoctoPs fuarinlaed prescription celled Cyste*. SIO.OOO.M deposited 
wKh Bink of America. Los Angeles, Calif., guarantaaa C^ste* must 
bring new rltaHty la 48 hours snd make you feel years younger In 
one week or money back on return of empty psclatge. Telephoas 
your druggist for guarsntoed Cystas (81se-tex) today. 



stampa, amall telescope. old,colna 
many other atUcSes. Want 
geology, mining engineering, or any 
Hawk Co^oradi Jensen. Black 



United States stamps to 
^ blocks of United States Commem- 

orativee. George Gunner. Box 73. Long Hill, Conn. 

?• camera model six-alxteen, would 

Also moclel 

ni^rplane plans, solid arid flying. Joseph Blanchard, 
Jr., 67 Clendemniy Avenue, Jersey City, N. J. 

^(V^s exchanged. Want oddltleB. novelties. 

mechanical, freaks, anything 

Sloy) pgloftl'Ark"*'** 

Cowboy spurs, mounted and engraved. Want 
Grltsner shoe sole stitcher or cement soling 
press. Karlan Biidwell, Pbrestburg, Texas. 

Will swap 616 Kodak camera, F6.3 lens, for any- 
thing of value. Bin Blfschok, 8907 72nd Ave., Ed- 
monton, Alberta, Canada. 



I^ve one rocket stamp to swap. What (s your 
Qtfe rT No stamps wanted. Rudolf Trlmmel. S. F. 
L. Wien X, Laxenburgerstrasse 26, Austria. 



Have Eastman 3A Kodak, P7.71ens. case, folding, 
excellent, with U. S. School instruotiona Like 
new. Want stamps, or offers. Write to C. L. 
Hollmann, Washington, Mo. 



Wanted phonograph records. Send lists. Will 
swap stamps, tubes. Stempel, 4704 8. Justtoe, 
Chicago, BL 



Have microscope, excellent condition, magnifying 
100. 2G0. 300. Will trade for iwo-lnch or more 
telescope with tripod. R. Flnke, 830 46th Street, 
Brooklyn, N. T. 



16mm. movie projector, motor driven, in good 
condition, wanted. Write name, condition, value 
When new. I have valuable artlclea Louis Leibo- 
vitz, 3835 Cambridge, PblladeTphia, Penna. 



Stamps — have many of them to exchange. Send 
200-300. receive same number. Specially want 
British Colonies. Donald Briice, 1618 16^ St., 
N. W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 




FolloTf the World's Greafeit Sleuth 
OH the Track of a Mystery 
in 

THE TORCH OF 
DOOM 

A Full Book-Length Norel 
in the February Issue o£ 

THE PHANTOM 
DETECTIVE 

A THRILLING PUBUCATION 



Every Month— ’lOe At All Stands 



AVIATION 



FREE 



TO PROW TO YOU Uut you cu Uun AfUUon «t hOBW In your 
■pal* time. Walter Hl&toB-^itaCMer AvUtor. InatrucUr. lint mu 
to By the Atlantic Ocean— will gend you tb* first lesson of nil 
taiBDUt Hem* Study ATiathm Couis* absolutely tna. Also rrs* 
Book which ahgwB how Hluteu trains y<M for more than 40 types 
of Aviation ground lobe— gives too smimd school training n ec sssa i y 
for Bight iDBtruetlon— right In your own home. Avlatlms rapid 
growth U making naiiy opportunlUea to trained mto. Mall Coupoe. 

rWALTER HIMTOM. Prts., Aviattea InsMtuta of Anarlsa. ”1 
I Dsat. A7C. 1116 Canowtfeot A*anue, Wasblngton. O. C. . 

I Setici me Free Lesson and Tree Book describing ATiatlon*a I 

' OpportunltieB and your Course. (Write In peocU.) * 



I Ctly....n State | 



Smarter COLLEGE HUMOR J5c Erierywhere 



U1 



# N tfiis department we shall publish your opinions every month. After 
all, this is YOUR magazine, and it is edited for YOU. If a story in 
THRILLING WONDER STORIES fails to click with you, it is up to you 
to let us know about it. We welcome your letters whether they are compiU 
mentary or critical — or contain good old-fashioned brickbats! Write regu- 
larly! As many of your letters as possible will be printed below. We can- 
not undertake to enter into private correspondence. 



BEST ISSUE TO DATE 

By Robert Sherk 

The December issue of T. W. S. was the 
bestr to date. Imagine, John W. Campbell, 
Jr., H^iltdn, Weinbaum, Zag&t and Cum- 
mings iQ a single issue. “The Brain Stealers 
of Mars'’ was very good} t^re by this 
author, please. **The Brink of Infinity” was 
really Weihbaum's greatest story. The 
trick mathematical expression kept me in 
suspense until the very end. Hamilton's 
story wasn't hal^ bad. 2^gat’s “Lanson 
Screen” was a dkm good stpry. They wece 
all good, really, with Campbell, Weinbaum 
and Zagat tope. T. W. S. is making rapid 
progress-r-bat it could progress much 
swifter if it went on a monthly basis. 
“Zarnak” is o.k. as far as I’m concerned. 1 
think it is a good feature of your magazine. 
—119 Polger St., Buffalo, N. Y. 

SCIENCE ARTICLES WANTED 

By EUon Andrews 

You know, I was almost afraid you were 
going to ruin T. W. S. for a while — ^your 
first issue wasn’t as good as it might have 
been, you must admit. But the December 
number was great! Weinbaum, Hamilton, 
Cummings, Binder, and, best of all. Cainp- 
bell's ‘'Brain Stealers of Mars.” I doubt 
that I've read a better story than that in 
years. 

But the magazine can stand more im- 
provements— science articles. Most of us 
real science fiction fans are interested in 
science. After all, s-£ without science is 
like a rocket without fuel ... or a time 
machine without a cloch. You seem to 
recognise that with your excellent “Science 
Questions and Answers” Department and 
your Science Questionnaire. 1 find them 
quite interesting because I’m an amateur 
experimenter myself, haye a pretty decent 
lab and workshop. I wonder if I can get in 
touch with any others having similar in- 
terests through the pages of yonr maga- 
zine? Surely there must be many such. 
Since thi SFL must have many live-wire 
experimenterA in it, I am joining herewith 



and 1 hope that I shall hear from many of 
them. 1 hope that T. W. S. will soon come 
out monthly. — 349 St. John’s Place, Brook- 
lyn, N. Y. 

(We are planning to use authoritative eclenc^ 
artieJes on toi^ce oi interest to fantasy fiction 
readers in early, issues of T. W. S. The ftrfet of 
these, by a world’s authority, wtii aeon appear. 
— EdJ 

SUGGESTIONS 

By Ronald Annitaga 

I have just read the new THRILLING 
WONDBR STORIES. In it you asked for 
readers* opinions. Writ, here's mine: Plrtt, 
about illustrations. You should have three 
artists, namely. Marchioni, Paul and Wesso. 
Wesso, the best of thpm all, should do the 
cover and some of the interiors. Second, 
please give us a scientific editorial. Third, 
about choice of stories. You seem to 
have a good Selection of authors, but try 
to get Murray Leinster and Laurence Man- 
ning. Give us more interplanetary and 
time stdries. Put in so^ stories about 
chemical reseatxh, and eliminate tales of 
biological monstrosities. Fourth, give us 
more future-science strips like “Zarnak.” 
There would be a welcome feature, l^ow- 
ever, tell the cartoonists to make tbelr 
subjects a little more advanced. Fifth, give 
the ceadeys mpre departments, including 
one for sclkntifie discussion. And put longer 
letters in the Readers' Department. 

1 don't expect you will take this huge 
order to heart, but above all don't forget 
that plea for WeSso. — 20, Nicholson Road, 
Sheffield, 6, England. 

LAST TWO NUMBERS 
EXCELLENT 

By 6. Morton 

Just a few lines to give my opinion of 
the new magaeine. Your first issue I 
thought was terrible — too much of the 
gallant hero stuff and one-mah-defeatfng- 
an-army theme. But the last two numbers 
have been exc^lpnt, and 1 hope you main- 
tain the same high level. You certainly 
have got the right authors. 



m 






BUILT 
WITH 

IWATCH-LIKE 
PRECISION 

|n the Conklin P*n you 
find all modern featurei 
fhat result in matchless pen 
performance. And many of 
these features you find only 
In the Conklin. Now Conklin 
presents the revolutionary 
Cusfion Point for easier, 
smoother writing. Conklin of- 
fers the only positive mechav 
teal self-filling action — the 
device that "winds like a 
watch.” Note the exolu^ve 
Chevron design. Other 
Conklin advantages are the 
new controlled feed, insuring 
a uniform flow of ink; the visi- 
ble ink supply and the exclu- 
sive Conklin Word Gauge. 
Conklin Pens, Pencils and Sets 
ere on display at foading 
stores everywhere. 



The bast story in the December issue 
was WelribauiS’s “brink of Infinity/’ al- 
though the others were excellent toO| There 
is only one thing wrong with T. W: S- — 
comes out only bi-monthly.— 62a, Nevern 
Square, Eaol’s Court, London, S. W. 5, 
England. 

CAMPBELL TOPS AGAIN 

By John V. Baltadonis 

This issue was about the best so far. The 
stories weren^t so senile in plot as they 
were formerly. The best story in the issue 
was CanMrt>eirs yarn, “Brain Stealers of 
Mars.” This story had a novel twist to it 
that was pleasing. “The Lanson Screen” 
presented a unique form of the screen pro- 
tection idea. A. L. Zagat seems to be im- 
proving lils writing technique. Weinbaum’s 
story was very intriguing. I am so sorry to 
hear that tbere witt be no more stories by 
him in the future. I’m anticipating the Feb- 
ruary issue. From the announced line-up— 
Fearn, Williamson, Long and Wandrei, it 
sounds like a corker.— 1700 Fraidtfort Ave., 
Philadelphia, Pa. 

MORE MERRin WANTED 

By Joseph Hatch 

I am accepting your invitation. Opinions, 
suggestions and criticisms. SoSie comments 
first, life the December issue of T. W. S. 
“Brain Stealers of Mars” was great. Camp- 
bell not at bis best, but a fine story just 
the same. “Trapped in Eternity'’ was up to 
the Cvimmings standard. Give us more 
stories like his last two. “The Lanson 
Screen” was perhaps the best that .^thur 
L. Zagat has yet written, barring ‘^poor 
of the Bat.” 

Had Stan Weinbaum revised “The Brink 
of Infinity” as I presume he intended to, 
I’m very much afraid it would have lost its 
simple beauty. It was truly a masterpiece. 
Hamilton’s “Mutiny on Europa” was well 
written; it is an improvement on any num- 
ber of his stories. 

A severe brickbat. Please delete “Zar- 
nak.” The strip is too puerile for adults. 
In conclusion, congratulations on the 
covers. They’re swell. And an earnest plea 
fpr more Merritt. — ^34 Maiden Lane, Law- 
rence, Kansas. 

MATHEMATICS DRAMATIZED 

By Robert A. Madle 

Haying perused the December issue of 
T. W. S. I wish to offer the following com- 
ments. The most interesting story was un- 
doubtedly “The Brink of Infinity.” Bat it 
wasn’t science fiction! Weinbaum’s story 
was purely a mathematical problem drama- 
tieed. But it wTks an unusual one, and surely 
(Continued on page 124) 



THE CONKtlN PEN COMPANY 




128 



Hot^ 



I COODPAY 



Iposii 




Train 
NOW fof bot*l. 
oteb and Institutional 
fltid. Salaries up to tl.SOO 
$9,000 a *ear. living often ineludsd. Pi 
Tioos axparience proved unnecsasair. QaalUy 
at home. In leisure time. National Plaoemsnt 
Service FBEB of estra ^arge. Write cams 
aad address In narglo and mall this ad to- 
day for FBKS Book. Check positions m 
sthicb yoa’n Intsnsted. 

1 ) Usasgsr ( ) Steward 

() Assistant Manager 

< J Chief or Floor Cktk I ) Hous^eepe* 
1 ) Auditor < > Caahler 

LEWIS HOTSU TBAININa SCHOOLS 
KOMI HW.SIS Waahiagtsa. D. 0. 



OLD FACES MADE YOUNG 

I Af£AtvonMlook10tel6reara 




vases aMiieee This new sen- 
latiooa) name method S«wS ms 
iriai — You Riak NotMng* 
lAfts eae^oc mnseles. fifli OS 
boIIowB.^o Commotic*. 




- SONS — W^TBD AT ONCB I Mother. Home, 
Lo7e, Patriotic, Sacred, Comic oi 
WyP IHX any subject Don’t d^sy >— send 
■ Wfcif Iw poem today for our offer. 

BICBABD BBOS., U Woods Bids., CHICAGO* TT.T^ 



TRIAL 



I bare thousands of 
aatlsfled castomen 
air OTer the country 
who could not af- 
ford to pay bis 
prices. I have been 
. making dental plates 

lor many years by mail. I guarantee you satisfaction 
or they do not cost you one cent, and I take your word. 
Teeth made especially for you personally can be tried 
for sixty days. In one Pennsylyanla town alone, 91 
people are wearing teeth made by me. They are satis- 
fled and hare saved money. 

SEND NO MONEY 

Hy plates are Tory beautiful to look at and are con- 
structed to give life-long service and satisfaction. Ton 
can look younger at once. They are made with pearly 
white genuine porcelain teeth. Well fitting and 
guaranteed unbreakable. Remember you do not send 
W<|«% VII El cent— Just your name and ad- 

11 Fm FlaEs dress, and we send free impression 
material and full detailed directions. 
Be sure to write today for my low prices and complete 
information. Don’t put this off. Do it today. 

DR. S. B. HEININGER, D.D.S. 

440 W. Horan St, Dept 150, Chicago, Illinois 



(Coatimed from p»ge i23J 
made interesting reading. Campbell's initial 
appearance in T. W. S. with "The Brain 
Stealers of Mars” was a surprise. I ex- 
pected to read a hackneyed story of the 
lowest order; but instead it contained an 
unusual plot, well written. “Mutiny on 
Europa” was fair. 1 have only one word to 
say in reference to “island of Dr. X” by 
Echols and that word is — ouch! — 33 E. Bel- 
grade St., Philadelphia, Penna. 



ON AMATEUR ASTRONOMY 

By Milt Asquith 

In response to your request fpr opinions 
on the advisability of having an authority 
write a series of articles on telescope 
making, I recommend that you adopt this 
idea and incorporate the series in 
T. W. S. After all, s-f readers must cer- 
tainly have a tendency for the exploration 
of the unknown; otherwise, for adventure 
only, they would be contented with other 
types of fiction, such as western and detqp- 
tive stories, etc. The fact that science fic- 
tion finds an audience is indicative of 
aroused desire, on the readers’ part, for the 
probing of the unexplored reaches of our 
universe. 

The reader would have an excellent op- 
portunity to further his interest in this 
connection by delving into amateur astro- 
nomy; and, as I see it, a thdrough and 
simplified series of articles on telescope 
construction would be a quite welcome 
contribution to this field of endeavor. In 
the interest of all concerned I believe that 
a series of such articles would be an added 
asset to the magazine. — 9415 Stanton 
Avenue, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Penna. 

(We're reedy to supply sdesce ertlcle* of this kind 
— if our readers want them. Won't tboae intereeted 
write in. ea did Mr. Asquith? — Ed.) 



ROCKET STAMPS 

By Rudlof Trimmel 

Some time ago Austria got her first 
Rocket stamps. Issued by an expevimenting 
engineer, they have been used to pay ad- 
ditional postage for mails transported by 
the postal trial flights. Some stamps of the 
set are triangulars, like that shown in the 
accompai^ing illustration, others are rec- 
tangular. 




First rocket carrying letters into the 
stratosphere started during the year 1928. 
But regular mail flights began February 2, 
1931, and Rocket-mail opened for general 
purposes Sept. 9 of the very same year. 



Brighter COLLEGE HUMOR 15c Everywhere 



124 




Postal authorities who backed the experi- 
meutere at first have now decided to focbld 
them and have ordered that all availaliie 
stamps be confiscated. Coupled wit^ the 
small amount issued, this order has added 
much to the rarity of these unique stamps. 

According to the engineer's reports, there 
haye been sold not more than from 90 to 
500 stamps of each value. Now you may 
realize their rarity and the zeal fbr which 
they are searched for by the science fiction 
collector.— Wien, X., Laaenburgerstraeze 
26, Austria. 

(Wfe wish to thank Mr. Trimmel for hts in- 
teresting discussion of the Oral rocket stamp. 
Our Uluetration has been photofraphed by Mr. 
Tnnrtniel from one of the few stamps he has been 
able to save for his ooUection. — iSd.) 



A WELL-BALANCED ISSUE 

By Douglas Blakefy 

Back again, with another page or two of 
stuff to heckle the editors. Listen, boys: 
you've really got to enlarge THE 
READER SPEAKS. You should have at 
lent twenty letters in each issue, with 
editorial comments in very small type 
(such as Joseph Mallory's letter in the De- 
cember issue). Speaking of Mr. Mallory, I 
dof^ agree with bis idea of having a series 
of articles on telescopes. You can get these 
in a library, I would do as a couple of other 
readers have suggested: run about ^ree 
pages devoted to short-short stories by 
non-professional authors. Scienpe fiction 
can always stand new blood. T^e the case 
of Gabriel Wilson's “Earth-Venus 12" in 
the last issue. I've never heard of Gabriel 
Wilson, yet the story was good. You could 
run such a department after "Zarnak" is 
concluded. 

n there had been a beautiful girl In 

ohn W. Campbell, Jr.'s, yarn, “The Brain 

tealers of Mars," it would have been an 
excellent imitation of a Welnbaum novel- 
ette. But I never read a Campbell yarn yet, 
good as they are, that has even mentioned 
women. The man must be a woman-hater. 

Of the nine stories in the December issue 
there are four space stories, four stories of 
scienoe, and one time tale. That is as it 
should be. You have a carefully balanced 
issue. — 2800 Irving Ave., So. Minneapolis, 
Minn. 

^Editorial eemmente will always be anpez^ to 
let^rs calling for direct answers. Oka/? — Ed.) 

WEINBAUM WINS ’EM OVER 

By Jerome Turner 

Have finished your latest issue of 
THRILLING WONDER STOIUES. I 
must say that things are improving im- 
mensely. A few years ago I was a devoted 
fan to Wonder. But as time went by the 
stories contained became more technical, 
harder to read and enjoy. There came a 
time when the magazine contained only 
three stories and a serial. I quit then. 

(Coatimied on page 126) 



For Kidney And 
Bladder Trouble 

Stop Getting Up Nights 



Here's one good way to flush harmful waste 
from kidneys end stop bladder irritation that 
oft%n causes ecanty, bumiog and smarting 
passam. Ask voi^r ^ggist for a 8&-cent box 
of Gold Medal Haarleiji Oil Capsules — a splen- 
did ^bd harmless diuretic and stimulant for 

weak kidneys and hritated bladder. Resides 
getting up nights, some mmiptoms of kidney 
trouble are backabhes, puny eyes, leg cramps, 
and moist palms, but be sure to get GOLD 
MEDAL — It's the g^uine medicine for weak 
kidneys — right from Haarlem in Holland. 




FOREST JOBS 



STsUable at per month, steady. Cabin. Hunt, 

trap. patroL Oui|ify at on(e- 

Cr«( detotia ixtirnediatdhi 

Rayson Service Bureau, Denver, Colo. 




START 

$1260 to $2100 YEAR 



MEN— WOMEN 

Many 1937 appointments. ✓ iNSTlxtriB 
Common education KoeiiiSS 

usually SUiScient. Gentlemen: Rush to me. 

^ FREE of charge, list of 

Mail Coupon Itn-^t^ U. S. Government big pay 
obtainable. Send FREE 
meaiateiy. _0 SS-pam book describinz salaries. 
Hurry* vacations, hours, work. etc. Tel! nia 

how to set one of these jobs. 

/ 

/ Name 

✓ 

^ AddrcM 



HUMOR lie Everywhere 



Fimnfer COLLEGE 



125 




•nitIvaAecoaotHit* nd 0. F. . 

Muiandi of flina Bood thao, Onlr I4.00Q Corttflod nbUe AmoooW 
slntbo U, 9. WotnlB roBtaoBolFBtDoaiolASMrBtlB^cr C. P.^ 
zomiaatloaBgr ■BIW«»n>lin poolUoiu. r tTioai onortoDCB 

onoeoMu*. PmgaaltralBlcwtUMBrteporrUlaeofttBCaf C^iA. 
>clacHo« lO opbocB of tbo AiDertcsB botlnto of tan— diTaMi WiiM 
B* frooeook. "AccoantoBof . thoProfoMlon tbaitnpB." 

jiSalJe Extension University, Dept isas.H Chicago 

Tlw SctiMl Tbat H« TniMd OHT MM C. P> A.H 



ANY PHOTO ENLARGED 

Siw S X It In cH w «r uiwllor If O*- 
•trad. Smim price for full leogtb or 
buat form. group«. txadsoaped, pet A 
Miimxld. fte.. or ealaivamonts of tay m 

part of croup picture. Safo rpturo Of ^ ■ M ^ 

orlgtDU pboto CQAranteefL 3for$1.00 

SEND NO IWONEYfXKK«[ 

and wlthlB * week you will reoelve your oeautlful 

oniorgoMaBt, georoniood f lialaoa. Par poateaci 47o ^oo 
poatox* — or oud 4»c wilb oHor and portaoo. file 

IfijiiO'In^ •nlarxMiMnt ooot CTO.D. He plna Bo^r* 

'iS:fTsr,'s&to 




STANOARO AST STUSmS, 104 S. Jurinon St, Dtpt 397-A, CIlieago 



Would You Pay 2|^c for a Good Book? 

We hXTO A tpecUl bemia in LITTLB BLUK BOOKS— your pick 
of 17S0 tittso. A poatcxrd or lettw wlU brloc you x complete cate* 
loc and fiOfk dioenubt certiacate. Addiew: LITTLE BLUE BOOK 
'to., fteem 00. 6lr»rd, Kum.>^ 



STATEMENT OP THE OWNEB3HIP. MANAGE- 
MENT, CIBCUI.ATION, BTC., HEQUIRED BY THE 
ACTS OP CONGRESS OP AUGUST 24. 1812. AND 
MARCH 3. 183.1. of Thrlllint Wonder Stories, pub- 
liebed bl-inoDlbiy at New York. N. Y., for Octob»^ 1. 
ivaa. 

state of New York i „ 

County of New York ( 

Before me. a Notary Public In and ior tbe State 
and County aforesaid, pcraonallp appeared N. !«. 
Pines, who, baviiiv been duly sworn according to law. 
deposes and says that he is the PublUtaer of ThrilUnx 
Wonder Stories and that tbe following is, to the beet 
of bis knowledge and belief, a true statement of the 
ownership, management, etc., of the aforesaid publica- 
tion for the date shown in the above caption. Teouired 
by the Act of August 24. 1812, as amended by tbe Act 
of March 3. 1833, embodied in section S87. Postal 
Laws and Regulations, printed on tbe reverse of tbit 
form, to wit: 

1. That the names and addresses of the publisher, 
editor, managing editor and business manager are : 

Publisher. Beacon Magaaines. Inc.. 22 West 48th 
Street. New York. N. Y.: Editor. 22 West 48th Street. 
New York. N. Y.: Managing Editor, none: Busineu 
Manager, B. L. Herbert. 

2. That tbe owner is: Beacon Magaslnes, loc.. 22 
West 48th Street. N. Y.; N. L. Pines. 22 West 48th 
Street. N. Y. 

3. That the known bondholders, mortgagees, and 
other security holders owning or holding 1 per cent or 
more of the total amount of bonds, mortgages, or 
other securitias are: none. 

4. That the two paragraphs next above giving the 
names of tbe owners, stockholders, and security hold- 
ers. 11 any. contains not only tbe list of stockholders 
and security holders as they appear upon the books of 
tbe company, but also, in cases where the stockholder 
or security bolder appears upon the books of the com- 
pany as trnstees or in any other fiduciary relation, the 
name of tbe person or corporation lor whom sneb 
trustee is acting, is given: also that the said two para- 

E raphe contain statements embracing afRant's lull 
nowledge and belief as to the circumstances and con- 
ditions under which stockholders and security holders, 
who do not appear upon the books of the company as 
trustees, bold stock and securities in a capacity other 
than that of a bona fide owner; and this affiant has no 
reason to believe that any other person, association, or 
corporation has any interest direct or indirect in tbe 
said stock, bonds or other secorittes than as so stated 
by him. 

N. L. PINES. PubHeher. 

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 23rd day of 
September. 1038. Adrea Goldberg. Notary Public, com- 
mission expires March 80. 1838. 



(Ccnthiued from page 12S) 

Lately, however, I was tempted to read the 
revived publication. I am certain that it 
will rise to a higher level than ever 
previously occupied. 

A word about Weinbaum's “Brink of 
Infinity/’ I have a friend who dislikes all 
types of science fiction stories. 1 finally 
persuaded him to read “Brink of Infinity.’’ 
He was so delighted with the velvety style 
that he immediately askfd if I had any 
other stories by Weinbaum. I have been 
rationing him a story a day for the past 
week and he is demanding more. He is not 
the first to change his opinion of science 
magazines, due to Weinbaum. Every per- 
son prejudiced against science fiction, a/ter 
reading Some of his works, undergoes a 
change of heart. 

I read “The Point of View” to an Eng- 
lish class and the teacher recommended 
the beautiful and suspenseful style.— 
Kohut-Harrison, New York. 

FRANK CRITIclsivTs 

By Paul H. Spencer 

Here’s some opinions of the December 
issue. The cover was satisfactory, but why 
does the artist paint so many goggle-eyed 
monsters? In response to the caption yoU 
tagged on to my letter publish^ in that 
issue I’m admitting that Camp^ll was 
good, after all! Despite my prejudice 
against it from the tide, *^he Brain 
Stealers of Mars” was thought-provoking 
and amusing. It was, beyond a doubt, the 
best story in the issue. Zagat's “The Lan- 
son Screen” comes next. I especially liked 
the realistic style of writing, particularly 
in the 1997 sequences, “Mutiny on Europa” 
was a good story of its type. “The Island 
of Dr. X” was poor. If ft were slightly 
changed, though, it would be a good bet for 
the movies. “Trapped in Eterni^” was 
only fair. "Static” was mediocre. “Saturn’s 
Rmgmastet” was not so hot. “Earth-Venus 
12” started off like one of Ray Cummings’ 
yarns and ended up fair. "Zarnak” is not at 
good as the first two installments. Hurry 
up and conclude it. 

Try to print more stories like "Circle 
of Zero” and “Brain Stealers of Mars.” 
They were ori^nal and refreshing. “The 
Brink of Infinity” was excellent — but 
where did the illustration and the quota- 
tion come from? There’s a chance I’ve 
said something antagonizing in this letter. 
If 80 , please consider that all these criti- 
cisms are intended to help your magazine. 
—88 Ardmore Road, West Hartford, Conn. 

(The text for the lllurtraffob for Weinbaum’* 
story. "Brink of Infinity,” will be found on ps^e 
61. first paraaraph. rtaht-hand eolumn. of the 
last issue. — Ei) 

ZAGAT’S TALE TOPS 

By Forrest J. Ackerman 

In my opinion each issue of T. W. S. has 
exhibited improvement since its inception; 
Dec. best to date. 

(Concluded on page 128) 



Gayer COLLEGE HUMOR 15c Everywhere 



126 



SCIENCE QUESTIONS 
AND ANSWERS 

{Concluded from Page 115) 

any 4ata on the recent!)' discovered planet 
Piufo. 1 would be very interested to know 
Bomething about it. Does it have an atmos' 
pbere whfch might support life? 

Hempstead, L. 1., N. Y. 

Pluto is too recent a discovery, and too inac- 
cessiUe to our instruments, to be a well classified 
heavenly object. Some facts are known about it. 

It is probably smaller than our moon, and un- 
likely to haVe any sort of atmosphere. Surface 
temperature probably minus 230 centigrade. Its 
surface might conceivably be covered with layers 
of ice, solid carbon dioxide, ammonia, nitrogen, 
etc., in liquid or solid form. Its mean distance 
from the sun is about 3,675 millions of miles. 
Its. “year” is equal to about 350 of ours. Mean 
orbital velocity 3 miles a second. 

From Pluto the sun would appear smaller than 
Jupiter does to us, and would not exhibit a disc. 
Yet the intCBsity of the sunlight would be about 
$00 times fnat of our full moon. 

It has been theorized that because of its small 
^ze, Pluto may be one of a group of small bodies 
in that extreme orbit — similar to the group of 
asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. The new 
300 *inch telescope which will be in use within a 
few years may reveal these companion bodies, or 
perhaps even planets far beyond Pluto. 

The possibility of life on this remote planet Is 
rather speculative, mainly because of its ^remely 
low temperature. Ed. 



HEADLINERS 

IN THE NEXT ISSUE 



JUDGMENT SUN 

By EANDO BINDER 



ELIXIR OF DOOM 

By RAY CUMMINGS 



FLIGHT OF 
THE SILVER EAGLE 

By ARTHUR LEO ZAGAT 



AND MANY OTHER UNUSUAL 
NOVELETTES AND STORIES 



WAKE UP YOUR 
LIVER BILE- 



Without Calomel—And YouTi Jump Out 
of Bed in the Morning Rarin’ to Go 
The liver should pour out two pounds of liquid 
bile into your bowels daily. If this bile is not Dow- 
ing freely, yodr food doesn’t digest. It Just decays 
In the bowels. Gas bloats up your stomach. Tou ggt 
constipated. Tour whole system Is poisoned aud you 
feel sour, sunk and the world looks punk. 

Laxatives are only makeshifts. A mere bowel 
movement doesn’t get at the cause. It takes those 
good, old Carter’s Little Liver Pills to get these two 
pounds of bile flowing freely and make you feel “up 
and up.” Harmless, gentloi yet amazing in making 
bile flow freely. Ask for Carter's Little Liver Pills 
by name. Stubbornly refuse anything else. 25c at all 
drug stores. O 1935, C. M. Co. 




LONESOME? 

Lstmaamofe a romutie oorTcspondecce for 
/ ymt'Tlad younelf a iweetbeart thru Amerloa’s 
A^foMBoat tdm aooial oorrApoodeDce club. A ftlead- 
WMp letter sodety for body ladita and reoUeaen. 
' "^NlTD^TIAb [otroduetio&t ktiw; 
..ioubltt Mrrlee. I have made thwtiaade of 

/nmnaTWrUaforTBEEaealedparticulais. 

lOBB .P.O.MX8M JACKSONVILLE. FLOmm 



LiaUOR HABIT 

Senl for fllBS TStlAl* of Noxslco^ • guarantee faannltss 
boms treatm^ Can be given secretly in food or drink to 
ejwoat who drinks or-cravea Wbiekay. BeerJ3ia,'Home Brew, 
Wine, etc. Yotir request for Free Trial bri^ 



yoB may tiy un^ a 80 day refund guarantee. Try Nox^ 
otour^ ARLEE Ca DepL 209. BALTIMORE, MO. 



TBBATBCEIfT mailed on 
Tree Trial. If satisfied, 
send 91; if not, it's Free. 
Write roe for your treat- 
ment today. 

W. E. STERLINK 830 Ohio Ave, Sidney, Ohio 



ASTHMA! 



FISTULA 

Anyone auffering from Fistula. Piles or any Bectal trouble 
is \irged to write for our FR£E Book, describing the 
McCleary Treatment for these treacherous rectal troubles. 
The McCleary Treatment has been succeasfui in tbousanda 
of cases. Lrt us send you our reference list of former 
patients living In every State In the IJnion. The McOIoary 
Ctlnle, 197 Elms Blvd., Excelsior Springs, Mo. 



Quit Using Tobacco! 



Write for Free Booklet and Learn Bow. 
fiemlts Guaranteed or Money RefundaL 
NEWELL PHARMACAL COMPANY 
118 Claytao Statlea St. Lout*. Me. 



100.000 

Satlstleil 

listfs 



A BABY FOR YOU? 

If you are denied the blessing of a baby all your own and 
yearn for a baby's arms and a baby's smile do not mve uy 
hope. Just write in confidence to Mrs. Mildred Owens, 
Dept. S. 5S2 Hanan Bldg., Kansas City. Mo., and she wilt 
telt you about a simple home method that helped her after 
being denied 15 yrs. Many others say this had helped bless 
their lives. Write now and try for this wonderful happiness 



COLLEGE HUMOR 



Bitter 



15c Everywhere 

127 



Your Rupture 
Worries! 

Vfhj wocry and auWer any lonsarf Learn 
about oar perfected meftotion for all tonne 
of reducible rupture in men, women and 
chOdicn. Support iiUcd with automatic air 
cuebioa aaaiata Nature in a natural ctronf th- 
eninf of the weakened muaclcs. Thoueande 
nude happy. Wdcbe but a few ounces, ia 
- hwonepicuouaaod eanitaiy. No ctiff tprines 
I or hero pada. Noealveaorplaetera. Durable. 
* cheap. Sant ow trial to prove it. Beware of 
imitationa. Never sold in etorea or by agents. 
Write today for full infMmatioa and Free Bode oa Rupture. 
All correepondence coa^coUal. 

WroOKS COfNPANY, tM>P Stat* tt, Marsliali. Mtok. 




SatsiiSK. tents 

KEELEY TREATMENT FOR 
TOBACCO HABmesisteissa 
{!&»! asr&tBi&M*” 

itersitesjy dsaaa ?3igsiaa- 

MELtY IHSTITUTA. P«A iJM. BwMit. IM 




SCIENCE FICTION LEAGUE 

(Concluded from pago J20) 

Schaeffer. 1930 TuUon Aee.. Bronx, K. T.; Bmeet Xlab, 
B. 3. Box 87, Barberton. Ohfo. 

Of, R. Dalmadge. State Btunana Officer. Palo Alto, 
Cal.; Allan ColUne, 1& Bonw 8t., Dorcbeeter. Maae.t 
Staolej Ooldetein. 3321 Branard St.. Houiton, Texaet 
Vincent Finelli. 69 Kearney Ave,, Kearney. M. J. ; H. 
Lloyd Higgine. 76 Luek St.. Johnson CUy, N. Y.\ George 
Chobanion, 607 Lake Ave.. Lyndhurst, N. J.: Richard 
Myer 3160 Cambrld^ Ave.. CUcago, III.; O. L. Eend* 
ter, 32 Pine, Tremont, Pa. 

CANADA 

V 

lacinrerB oi.. rwn 

8t. Chsrice. Montreal, Can.: John T. Perreault. 0630 
Monklaod Ave.. N. D. 6. Montreal, Quebec; Gregory 
Bowes. 87 Seeley 8t.. Saint John. N. a., Canada. 

ENGLAND 

Tom Green, Jiv 176 Cecil St.. Manctaeater 14. Xaa« 
Chester. Lancs.. Sngland: Donald Kaah. 30 Bolby St.. 
Bury. Lancashire. Eng.; J. H. Higginbotham. 24 
Donard Ave, Bargor. Co. Down. N. Ireland. 

AUSTRIA 



INDIA 



LONELY hearts 

(gagjQQ Bureau. Hv)pineag awaits 
you, cm miKRideaii everywhere, eeeklag congenial mates. 
Quick results. Confidential serTice. Particulars FMb 

STANOARO CUIBb Boa • 07 < 4 . GRAYSiAKC. ILLINOIS 



“We Want Eygiy Pile 
Sufferer to Have a 
FREE Trial Package” 

No BMtter wbwe yon live— o« mstlw what your ars or ocenpa- 
tkea—tf you are troubM wia tl^lna. blaeUing or protraAIng piWa. 
wo waat JOB to try tbe Pan Imaraal Tablet Combtnatlaa PDe 
Treatnait. We MU iladly ttai yoa a trial tbw packan 7rwo(> 
Qiarfa This trial alio alono SiouIS lire you much wrleomo ralltf. 
Write for sm today and loara for younoU bow toothlag It is and 
what a world of diiSereneo it laakta if you do not bavo to put up 
with that CertlblB pain. Itcbins and bleeding. 



We espoeliUy want to fend it to thoae dkeourseed eofferen who 
haw triad otba pile troataents without auecew or beiiare tbeir 
coBditloD to be hopeleas. It la aiznpiy aiDasiaa bow quickly aoiae 
of Um most severdy izaravated esaet responded to this method. 

Don't wait any longer to try this trestment. Writ# yooi name 
and addreas on tbe coupon below and mail it right now. A trial 
padtasa wlD bo oent promplly in plain wrapper Prea-ot-Charge. 



I FREE TRIAL COUPON j 

I E. R. PAfiE CO., 42I-B0 Paoa Bldg.. Marshall, MIob. I 



THE READER SPEAKS 

(Concluded from page 126) 

‘‘Liquid Life,” that funny Farleyarn, 
topped with me in Oct.; Merrittale of Poet 
and Robots took 2nd. Fine fantastic covsr. 

Dec.: Excellent scientiheover. Compli* 
ments on majority inner illustrations, par- 
ticularly for ‘‘Brain Stealers of Mare,” 
“The Lanson Screen,” and "The Brink of 
Infinity,” which, coincidentally, I con- 
sidered best stories. Wetnbaum’s mathe- 
matical ms. was unique and most inter- 
estingly illustrated. “Brain Stealers,” 
tending toward thought-variant, infusing 
good ideas to consider. “Lanson Screen” 
definitely thought -variant. Top! Zagtale 
intriguingly told in scenario style. That I 
remember, best story by A. L. Z. I’ve ever 
read, a No. 1 narrative, in my preference, 
best published to date.— 23654 North New 
Hampshire, Hollywood, California. 



GUIDE TO SCIENCE 
KNOWLEDGE ANSWERS 

(See page 101) 



Please send me a free trial package of your 
Internal Tablet CombinatioD Pile Treatment. ^ 



.... state I 



1_Page 109, in WORLD IN A BOX 

2— Page 109, In WORLD IN A BOX 

3— Page 62, In HE WHO MASTERS TIMH 

4— Page 48, in BRAIN OF VENUS 
6— Page 54, in BRAIN OF VENUS 
6— Page 34, In BLACK FOG 
7_Page 38, in BLACK FOG 

8— Page 90, in THE ICE ENTITY 
»-Paoe 94, in THE ICE ENTITY 



COLLEGE HUMOR 



15c Everywhert 



The New 

129 




Tbla to • ndl* t« ttMlf, m it to P^-uiblj 

L «*• <«» ^J2?H52r 











- wKfcMt ^ 



L CwniMir 7 ri£rr‘'n>*i 
Sfth%HxSSu 7 NLYas 7 !!» 

^Rtoito l«rPM«ii 

«. Mv. eaui*» i 




fis, GoodLnck 
RING 

iSt^smS 

UtMn (Wtot «r 



BOVSl BOYSI BPYSI 

THROW YOUR VOICE 

R^tstS.-m 

VENTRILO 

B HUU toftnnunt, (It* 

I MSB ceOrB* on VoirbfloqulM 
LfoSSthar tntt ttio Vt n titoB. A 

llBrOAly lO corn* B BB tPBld. 



DANCING 




JU-JITSU 

OONT BK BULUED 

Th* JtlMMB K-t of Mlf-i*(«M«.i 

{S«to 



'30c 



isftto?Ui 

l>^ fttllT WttB^trTB*. ^OW(, 
wrtot l*ck*, bedjr fadd*, d»ih>M 
■••iMt r*Y«lr«n, attMidlr'*, 
l^f, ^to 7 h»i 3 floelu 

MdioB* cua dowii, doobl* k*M 

SSsSSl ^3 

•r*. l^S^Z'tlnSt^ymitSf^m^ 
Mr M> cirnmicaficw with o*tnr*‘« 




LEARN TO HYP NOTIZE 

eMkMr«*rtrro« 

sssvnsxsi 

toiB. 

ofoYonliStufltB. 
liikBoifem i 9 M 

luui -iD i~.~ tm iiiifju i ,„r^ iiii'^^iTyr " 

Sgh'sstara.'ia'irt^^'jatw! 



M 




WONDERFUL X-RAY 10c 

•nAT CURIOSITYI It 7 M 
c*a *pp*reaU7 mo too mooo la 
^ Seob oMDia taMBonaL A}> 

gsg5g^°,»>tShf^"^ 

d^WRCM'iliX OROBRS POR GOOMIOM TMI» RMC TO 

JOHNSON SMITH & CO. 

DCntOITp MICHIQAN 

— "--• — *Tl^lOe, ortAB 

d Batoar Uiaa «««r. 

■ bIMm totorf 



tftcuu PGCKtf TsaucoK. • rowni, oRnAikY iimm* a GMiT I H 1 




BLANK CARTRIDGE PISTOL 
R^OLVCR •TVLR,^fl ■M.25C 

50c 
.00 




a*lMtbur^on!rtnnBo^^of^^ I 

Irluaroaotl ^tbost tb* 3 *avM ot- I 
toA^lo edisrr.Tolr*r*.flD*tor 4 lk ■ 
of /olr. Now Ymt o, oIwo worit, V 
■CorOae pl.tol, etc. BfiMBTalr* *** 

Modtiun ol — ■ -•— 

tritot 10 



BIG ENTERTAINER 




rndi.,.K^.,£ni.S; 
asgiaiaatgu,' ^tHgaa-iKi 



SILENT DEFENDER 

B 0*o4 bp boBco oAcoM. do- 
' toot^o*. ohocufo osA olcbl 




5 Master Ke] 

K lrodonrlooioer {mot poet kop 
oboNr ■ony UoMO. Dca't wanp « . 

(Bar* .boat loot koro (or oop kop*. tor 

1^7.# 

WUIooYottolteMCirpoa^ om UioB 
POM. bat poa'll prehMp OBd toon oo i 
noodpUiotr ^‘11 aiwapo ooitt tfaom. Soolf A 

igoVl^JP?^*^. 28 c. i 



C CORING 

p.?p (• o^ppiondld rlo^ 

& O^ iSdb . '?o»rTI«( ' 

ttwoowho vorL forlind' 
novo. SItolp ftnl^.b 
t^tbo AowrlonKooI. 
M botb ildf. aftho 
oUald. 8 BvarTnl.b witb 
cAlaBOOomoled In rad, 
il? 8 a TSoa.VrfcB .250 





• bosok^ 




120 




i 





INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS 



Q H Hoes, Ho something aboui ill Gel a raise in salary— Eui 
first get the training that will entitle you to this raise. Thousands 
of men in the same fix as you hove gotten this tr ainin g by 
spare-time study of an L C. S. Course. Mail the coupon today] 



BOX 3969-H, SCRANTON, PENNA. 

^ Without cott or obligation, please send me a cooj of your booklet, ’'Who Wioi tod iAt 
Why," and full particulars about the subject befort which I have marked X; 



eep«M 
»rt«l W 






...Freitfit Podllon.^. 



If T»tUt Sn Oeneda, i*n4 aMWon to iM XntspnaHoiwi OtrrMtondttm Sebeolt OsnsdiM. MnUod, troatsSSt, f 



i 



130 



NEW Startling Offer 

Just In Time For Christmas 




SAVE 

* 60 '’ 



Manufacturer’s 
Original 
Price 



While Offer 
Lasts / 



NOW 

ONLY 



Fully 

Guaruilieed 



Don’t Miss This Special 
Money-Saving Opportunity. 



c 

a Day 



oil Easiest Terms 
Ever Offered! 



FREE Trial-No Money Down 



Now now Direct-Saloa plan lirliiga price down to lowest In history. He yoiir own salesniun and snve Wiun. 
•fhese worfd-fiimous Rcfinisiicil Underwoods are the lliiest. most deinmdahle and servicealile typewriters built. 
l>o not confuse this rceoguized un to-date leader wifh unUuowii or inferior makes. While our limited siipidy 
lasts — we offer these Oeniilne Kelnillt Underwoods at far below half the original sale price because we have 
our selling plan on an efflcieiit. direct-to-you basis. 



Lowest Price 
Ever Offered 

Only by an exceedingly tof- 
tunale deal direct wlili tlie 
manufactureni makea tbU 
sensational low price poa- 
siblo. Compare It to any 
typeuTitor costing twice as 
mucli, Note the up-to-date 
ImproTements, incluiling full 
sized staodani. 4-row key- 
boaril, back spacer, marslii 
release. 2-color ribbon, 
etc. Don't wait— ACT AT 
ONCE. 

Touch 

Typewriting 

Course 

FREE!! 

As a very special extra of 
fer. you get a comiileie 
course In Touch Typewrit- 
ing If you hurry. With 
this easy, fully llluslratrd 
course, anyone can li-arn 
touch typewriting in a stir, 
prlslngly short few home 



Buy Direct-Save $60.10 Try-Before You Buy 



‘ill direct— sell to yourself, 

with no ime to influence* you. This puts 
the Underwood on a straight merit test. 

It must sell itself. It must satisfy you 
comidetely during the 10 day trial 
period, or you can send It buck at our 
c.xpense. You save ?li0.10 by being your 
own siilesinaii. You benefit by our di- 
ri‘(‘t-to-you eas.v payment iiltiu — which 
eliniiiiiites expensive branch houses, 
ilealer organizations and traveling 
salesiiicii. Our saving Is your saving. 

Use FREE Trial Coupon 
Now - While Special 
Offer Lasts! i', 

Act at onct’ — while limited sup- ^ 231 West Monroe St.. Chicago. III. 

send fnderwojHi _N<J. 5 (F.q.n.,.ChlcaKol_ 

'liald *100 cash for § ^ '' 

- 1 model that — 



Scud no money 1 Not one cent in ad- 
vance. No deposit of any kind. .No 
obligation to buy. 10 day Free Trial 
Coupon is all you need to send. Tlic 
Underwood conies to you at our n'gfc for 
to days free trial in your own home nr 
ofllce. I'ecide for your.self after trial 
whether vou want to bny. If you don’t 
want to keep the Underwood or don’t 
think it Is .1 tremendous Iiargnin, sim- 
ply semi It back at our expense. If you 
do want to keep it— pay only 
in easv monthly payments of iWdHi a 
immth until low term price of 
Is paid. 



derwoods last, 
over 3,000.000 Imyer 
this wry same miikc ... 
are now oltered for only *39.90 and »<i 
easy terms besides, If you desire. Bend 
money saving couiton NOW— and avoid 
disappointment. 



lO-dav*’ trisl. If I keep It I will pay *39. 9i 

*3.00 per motilh until " 

w *41 no is raid. 

K can return It ex 



i collect. 



t perfectly satlslled I 



International Typewriters ^ 

Over SS years irorM-iridt- business ''‘p'V nulVk ahlomeiii glve retereuce' 

n ..,^4 \AA 231 W. Monroe St-»* 

Dept. 164 Chicago, 111. 




I HHcBtnPUTE 

l^flcintiT 

THERTRf-i 

' jonic k 

SPEAKER A 



:r/ormnnce 






MY MIDWl?T 
NOT ONLY MEFTS 
BUT SURPASSES MY 
MOST CRITICAL 
STAN CARDS. 



NO Sr THAT I HAVE EVER 
OWNED HAS BROUGHT 
IN FOREIGN RECEPTION 
SO CONSISTENTLY AND 
SATISFACTORILY. 



C/oria Sfuarf 



fm cincinnRTt ohio, u.s.r. 
Cable Address miRflCO...flli Codes 



IV lUDC)* 5WAVE SANDS 
9 to2200 meters * ELECTRIK SAVER 
• DIAl-A-MATIC TUNING • 

• AUTOMATIC AERIAL ADAPTION • 
DUAL AUDIO . 
PROGRAM EXPANDER 






CKcUed 



ou 



DIAL-A-mATIC;^ 



Your radio enjoyment b doubled with Dia)>A- 
Matic Tuning, the amaaing new Midwest 
feature that makes thb radio praclicallv tune 

ils<ir. Nd». even ■ ckUd cin tr>M, in ten perfectly 
whiH |!*_.“i^?heD hmr’lTe^iUtion yoa 

7.lp>np-sfp . . . the proarame roll in porWt^ tuned . 
e> feet ee you an yrei e bultonil Tlih acw Midwc 
feeture wiU pa rf oc o i new wirncla of radio for yo 



miDUUESTS 



new igjf 
Am-TtSTBO 
S-BARD 



Tube miDUiEST 



30DaH$rR[ETrioir 

Send for big FREE 40-page 1937 Midwest 
catalog — before you buy any radio — and see for 
yourself why scores of thousands of ratUo purchasers have 
saved up to 50% by ordering the Midwest factory • to - you 
w^ since 1920. Learn why Midwest radius are preferred by 
famous movie stars, orchestra leaders, musicians, sound 
technicians, and discriminating radio purchasers everywhere. 



■ CCOMI YOUR OWN 

RADIO DEALER 

Save the iobber'a-rctailcr's 
profiUthat often Amount to 50% 
ofordinitrv retail prices. Become 
your (ran radio dealer and buy 
ut wbolesule prices direct from 
the Midwest factory. Never 
liefore su much radio for to 
little monevi Why pay more? 

This super deluxe Midwest eLECmiK.SA VER 
radio b »o amazingly selective. exelutive Midweit 
so delicately sensitive, that it Mn'ium^ion' W^”'**** 
brings in dbtanf foreign stations rnylii in MIi)w< 
with full loud speakr* — 



and t 



,s low 



powerful locaU. 



int to 
You'll thrill 



Oneeagam.Midwestdemoastretcsitalcadcr- over its marvelous 
ship by offering thb amazin^y bcauHfal, . . , glorious cry: 

bigger, better, more powertui, 16-tube, realbm" . . , ani. . _ 

6-liand world-wide radio — a startling wide foreign reception. Swres of marvelous 
achievement that makes the whole world Midwest features, many of them exclusive, 
your radio |dayground. Out-pcrfnrms $150 make it easy to parade the nations of the 
radios on point • for - point comparison, sworld before you. Youcanswitch instantly 
Powerful Triple • Twin Tubes (two tubes from American programs ... to Canadian, 
U- t«. police, amateur, commercial, airplane 



and ship broadcasts 

the finest, most fascin.ilhv 
world-wide foreign programs 
Before you biiv any radio, send 
for our big FllEE 40-pngc 1937 | 
catalog — and t.-ikc advantage of ' 
Midwest's sensational factory- 
to-yov values. You have a year 



10c per day — and vou secure 
iiic privilege of 30 days' 
FREE trial in your own 
home. In addition you 
are triply protected with 
Foreign Reception Guarantee, 
Full - Year Warrantv and 
Monev-Uaek 
Gua 










f^nother ^eaut^ >5*^<**’ 
from 

Qnnx Qnen 
2ffifcus 



DPP - Digital Pulp 
Preservation group 
If you would like to help us, 
we are here: 



aton.or^forum/index.php